Photo by Síle Moloney
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced Tuesday, May 19, that a Bronx man has been charged with first-degree rape and related charges for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl who he met on social media.
Clark said the defendant, Jose Ramos, 34, of Andrews Avenue, The Bronx was arraigned Tuesday on first-degree rape, second-degree rape, third-degree rape, two counts of first-degree disseminating indecent material to minors, two counts of second-degree disseminating indecent material to minors, sexual misconduct, and endangering the welfare of a child before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Eugene Bowen. She said he is due back in court in August 2026.
“This defendant allegedly communicated with his 12-year-old victim on Snapchat, sending her sexually explicit videos of himself, and then went to her home when her parents were out and allegedly raped the girl in her bedroom,” Clark said. “This was insidious, disturbing behavior.”
According to the investigation, Ramos and the 12-year-old girl had begun communicating with each other on Snapchat in early April. He allegedly sent her several sexually explicit videos of himself. The court heard that at around 9.30 p.m. on April 26, the defendant arrived at the child’s home while her parents were out, and after watching TV in her bedroom for a while, he allegedly grabbed the victim, removed her pants and raped her.
Prosecutors said he then allegedly began to smoke marijuana. When the victim’s parents returned home, they smelled marijuana coming from their daughter’s bedroom, and Ramos jumped out of a closet where he had been hiding. The child’s father restrained him until police arrived.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Dana Snay of the Child Abuse/Sex Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Mimi Mairs, chief of the Child Abuse/Sex Crimes Bureau, and under the overall supervision of Adrienne Giunta, deputy chief of the Special Victims Division and Joe Muroff, chief of Special Victims Division.
Source: NYPD / Compstat
Clark thanked Trial Preparation Assistant Jillian Crowley and Assistant District Attorney Shannon Keown for their assistance on the case. She also thanked NYPD Detective Massiel Delgado of the Child Abuse Squad for her work on the investigation.
Ramos is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
As reported, a man is sought for raping a 50-year-old woman in the Highbridge section of The Bronx in April and a 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the rape of a 16-year-old girl in Fordham Manor also in April. A man is also sought for following a woman into an elevator of a building in Melrose on May 12 and attempting to rape her.
As also reported, State legislators, sexual assault survivors and the Justice Without Exclusion Coalition are renewing calls to close gaps in State law that may currently protect rapists from being held accountable for their crimes. The gap relates to cases when rape and sexual assault survivors are intoxicated to a degree that renders them temporarily incapacitated and therefore unable to give consent. Read our latest story on the issue here.
The latest statistics of rape and sexual assault incidents in The Bronx, as of May 10, are attached. As previously reported in April (see page 13), rapes in the 28-day period ending April 26 increased by 450% in the 52nd Precinct, and by 400% in the 50th Precinct, both covering the northwest Bronx. Other sex crimes also increased by 300% in the 50th Precinct.
The NYPD said it investigates around 14,000 complaints of sexual assault annually, including sexual violence involving intimate partners, acquaintances, strangers, and children. They said the Special Victims Unit is comprised of over 300 highly trained investigators tasked with conducting investigations into sexual violence that are trauma informed, victim centered, and offender focused, to ensure survivors of these crimes receive the care and assistance they need while reporting sex crimes and engaging in the criminal justice process.
They said the Special Victims Unit handles reports of crimes of sexual violence citywide, with an Adult Special Victims Squad and a Child Special Victims Squad in each county, as well as a citywide Human Trafficking Task Force, and multiple other units tasked with assisting with these investigations.
They said the Special Victims Unit prides itself on being diverse and culturally aware, with multi-lingual investigators from all different backgrounds who reflect the populations the department serves. They said that each Special Victims Squad is staffed with at least two advocates from the Safe Horizons (nonprofit) Crime Victims Assistance Program, to ensure not only are survivors of sexual violence able to participate in the criminal justice process, but they are able to do so while also receiving access to the resources, care, and services they need to begin the healing process.
They said the Special Victims Unit’s 24-hour hotline is staffed around the clock allowing people to report sex crimes and get connected directly and immediately with the appropriate Special Victims Squad who will handle their report. To report a sex crime, call police urge the public to call the 24-hour hotline at 646-610-7272 or 212-267-7273.
They said the NYPD in conjunction with The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault provides access to resources and services survivors of sexual violence need via its Sexual Assault Survivor Resource Guide, which can be found in every precinct, police service area, and transit district throughout New York City and can also be accessed here.
The Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender Based Violence provides multi-lingual access to additional services, resources, and educational materials for survivors of sexual violence which can be accessed here.
Click here to access the NYPD Sexual Violence Brochure which includes information about Sexual Violence, Resources for Survivors, and ways to Help the Community.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.