A man, accused of sexually assaulting a 70-year-old woman, ended up in the hospital after a group of “vigilantes” in the Bronx tracked him down. Police say the group found the man less than 24 hours after it was reported that he tried to attack the victim near Fordham. The NYPD shared a video of the suspect, showing him with no pants on shortly after the attempted rape incident near Creston Avenue and 184th Street last Friday. The news of the attack quickly spread throughout the Bronx, leading to an anonymous call to the police the following day, stating that the suspect had been apprehended by residents who took matters into their own hands near Tiebout Avenue and 187th Street. The caller informed the detectives that they could locate the suspect in the hospital. Several women in the neighborhood expressed relief that the alleged predator was off the streets on Monday, regardless of the means used to capture him. Laurie Dominguez commented, “It’s messed up because our government doesn’t really do much about it. They lock him up now and let him go later.” Stenller Contreras added, “I would have done the same thing because that could have been my grandmother, it could have been anybody, I would have done the same thing.” Contreras criticized the catch and release system, particularly after the recent rape allegation involving a 70-year-old woman. “He deserved what he got. I’m sorry,” she stated. Police sources revealed that the suspect has been uncooperative in helping detectives identify his attackers, as investigators aim to determine if he may be linked to other crimes in the neighborhood. The suspect is currently hospitalized.
