GRUESOME: Man ropes woman around neck with belt, drags her behind car, sexually assaults her on Bronx street

Pictures of the man, who was masked during the attack, were released on Thursday. Video footage showed him walking up behind his 45-year-old victim, choking her with the belt until she passed out, and then allegedly raping her after dragging her in between two cars on May 1 at around 5 am.

NYPD News posted, "A 45-year-old female was walking when an unknown individual approached her from behind, wrapped an object around her neck, and pulled her to the ground causing her to lose consciousness. The male then dragged the victim between two cars and sexually assaulted her before fleeing on foot."

The police force is hoping that the photos being released will help to identify the man in the video who allegedly strangled the woman on May 1 near East 152nd Street and Third Avenue.

NYPD's Special Victims Unit is investigating the sexual assault on the woman, the police have stated, according to the New York Post. The victim was brought to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln and was in stable condition on arrival but then stopped cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

The footage of the crime that went viral online comes as there has been an increase in rape incidents in April of this year compared to 2023 in the area. So far during 2024, a total of 511 rapes have been reported in the city which is the same total as last year during that time frame.