BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Police are searching for a man wanted for an attempted sexual assault that happened in Brooklyn on Aug. 28, according to the NYPD.
A 36-year-old woman was walking on Clarkson Avenue when the suspect approached her and started talking to her around 9:40 p.m., police said. The suspect then shoved her to the ground, climbed on top of her, and choked her, according to authorities.
Bystanders then intervened, helping the woman, police said. The man fled on foot eastbound on Clarkson Avenue.
Police described the suspect as 5’5″ with long, black hair in dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a green t-shirt, brown pants, and black sneakers.
The victim had minor injuries and declined medical attention, police said. Her calls for help were first heard by a woman on the street.
“I heard someone saying 911, so that got my attention, and I turned around and walked back toward them to try and figure out what was happening,” said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous. “I approached and there was a guy on top of her. When she repeatedly called 911, I realized that something bad was happening.”
The good Samaritan said that as a woman she felt a little unsafe stepping in to help. The second good Samaritan was walking by around the same time.
“Luckily that man was walking up at the same time. I asked him for help and he stepped in, and I was really grateful for that,” the woman said.
PIX11 News spoke with the man who stepped in to help.
“She was like, ‘Stop, he’s raping me!'” the male Good Samaritan said. “And I just grabbed him up and threw him off of her.”
The incident is alarming for people who live in the neighborhood.
“It’s unsettling that it could happen to someone at 9:30 at night when there were people out on the street,” the female Good Samaritan said.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
