A masked intruder broke into a Bay Ridge Avenue apartment and sexually assaulted an off-duty NYPD officer at knifepoint — setting off a manhunt Wednesday night through the normally quiet residential neighborhood.
The attacker, whom cops identified as a white man wearing a mask, broke into the female officer’s apartment near Colonial Road at around 7:30 pm on Wednesday, entering through a door or window, police said.
The victim, who has worked in several Brooklyn precincts for more than five years, was taken to Lutheran Medical Center, where she was treated for rape-related injuries that were not considered life-threatening, media reports said.
Following the attack, the suspect fled, and police descended onto Bay Ridge Avenue, bringing the buzz of a NYPD surveillance helicopter. Sewer grates and streets were searched for evidence, Channel 7 reported.
As of press time Thursday morning, the manhunt was still in full force, officers said.
Neighbors said the break-in and rape was especially disconcerting because it happened in such a well-traveled area close to the Shore Road Promenade, a busy pedestrian and bus route.
Josephine Beckmann, district manager of Bay Ridge’s Community Board 10, told The Brooklyn Paper that residents had called the CB10 office following the attack with questions about safety.
“We are a quiet, low-crime community and so this kind of crime is shocking and really upsetting,” said Beckmann.
Bay Ridge has historically been home to a large population of police officers and so the fact that it was an off-duty officer who was raped “adds to the emotions,” the district manager added.
