The NYPD said Monday they have made an arrest following another rape that has taken place a block from the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood.

 

Police had been asking for the public’s help locating and identifying the man seen in the attached photos and video who they said was wanted for questioning in connection to the incident.

 

The latest sex crime comes on the back of a recent report of a woman who had been raped at knifepoint in mid-August at 11 a.m. in the park, located a short block from East Gun Hill Road and Putnam Place.

 

Police said in reference to the latest rape that on Sunday, Sept. 28, at around 5 a.m. in the vicinity of East Gun Hill Road and Putnam Place, a 36-year-old female victim was approached by an unidentified person who grabbed her by the neck.

“The individual then sexually assaulted the victim and forcibly removed her property containing an unknown amount of cash,” a police spokesperson said. “The unidentified individual fled on foot eastbound on Gun Hill Road. The victim was transported to NYC Health and Hospitals/North Central Bronx in stable condition.”

 

Police said the suspect is described as male, has a dark complexion, and was last seen wearing black pants, a black jacket, and white sneakers.

 

On Monday, Sept. 29, police said Kenneth Siriboe, 21, from New Jersey was arrested in the confines of the 47th Precinct, which covers the north central to northeastern section of The Bronx, in connection to the incident. They said he was charged with rape, robbery, strangulation, burglary, criminal obstruction of breathing, criminal trespass, assault and sexual abuse.

 

Siriboe is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Though it’s not clear if the incident took place inside a building or on the street (we await confirmation from the NYPD), given the location’s close proximity to the Oval, it has once again raised concerns over the urgent need for camera installation in the park.

THE NYPD IS asking for the public’s help identifying the person seen in this video who they say is wanted in connection with a rape that occurred in the vicinity of East Gun Hill Road and Putnam Place in Norwood at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, Sept. 28, 2025. Video courtesy of the NYPD

We eventually contacted City Hall to ask which department was ultimately responsible for installing them and were subsequently advised informally on Sept. 24 that they are expected to be installed around mid-October. We asked for details of the exact park locations and were informed this is still being worked out. We will follow up and share any additional information we receive.

 

We received the following statement from a City Hall spokesperson on Monday night, “The Adams administration, NYC Parks, and the NYPD are committed to ensuring all New Yorkers can enjoy the natural beauty of our parks in safety and peace of mind. The recent incidents at Williamsbridge Oval are deeply disturbing, and we will not allow more Norwood residents to be subject of these senseless crimes.”

 

The statement continued, “We are actively working to install the cameras and will share a timeline shortly, because protecting our neighborhoods and restoring confidence in our parks cannot wait.”

 

Speaking in Spanish, one petite, middled-aged, female employee at one of the laundromats mentioned how she sometimes works at night and other times starts her morning shift around 5 a.m. when it’s still dark. “The truth is I do sometimes feel a little scared walking to work,” she said, adding that at times she has even started to run when she’s felt threatened.

 

She also described how if sometimes she meets people she sees as a threat when walking down East Gun Hill Road towards the laundromat, she crosses over to the center bus stop median and allows passing traffic on either side to separate her from those she feels pose a threat.

She said usually there’s always passing traffic at that hour of the morning and that it’s also busier now since the return to school. “Thanks be to God nothing has ever happened to me,” the employee said. She went on to say she never sees police in the area. “This is the most important thing [to mention],” she said. “Even in my building where I live, there are people who enter who don’t live there, which is dangerous.”

 

The woman later added that she did recall seeing police earlier on Sunday evening in the area. Norwood News has also witnessed police patrolling the general area in police vehicles, sometimes with sirens on responding to various incidents, but not usually on foot.

 

The employee went on to describe a man who she said has previously entered the laundromat on more than one occasion when she’s been working who has masturbated in front of her. She said once she was separated from the desk and her phone and he followed her around the washing machines. Asked to describe him, she said he was often seen around McDonalds, was “dark,” of an average stature, and she estimated that he was around 40.

The employee said when she threatened to call the police, the man left but returned on another occasion. She added that she sometimes keeps the door locked in the early hours to feel safer or when she doesn’t recognize a customer. Putnam Place, a block from the Williamsbridge Oval park, is not particularly well lit.

 

During our conversation, the employee mentioned that on the other hand, she didn’t ever feel threatened by another man who often sleeps rough in the general area, sometimes on the street near the laundromat, and that he sometimes even does odd jobs for the business. “Him, he’s cool/tranquil,” she said. “He’s the opposite.” She said there was also another man who the undomiciled man hung out with who similarly did not pose any threat in her opinion.

 

 

To report a sex crime to the NYPD, call 911 if you are in immediate danger. For non-emergencies, use the dedicated hotline for the Special Victims Division. 

 

According to the NYPD, the department investigates approximately 14,000 complaints of sexual assault annually, including sexual violence involving intimate partners, acquaintances, strangers, and children. NYPD officials said it 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 they said reflect the populations the unit serves. They said each Special Victims Squad is staffed with at least two advocates from the Safe Horizons 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.

NYPD officials said the Special Victims Unit’s 24-hour hotline is staffed around the clock allowing individuals the ability to report sex crimes and be connected directly and immediately with the appropriate Special Victims Squad who will handle their report. To make a report of a sex crime, call the 24-hour hotline at 646-610-7272 or 212-267-7273.

 

NYPD officials said the department, in conjunction with The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, also provides access to the resources and services survivors of sexual violence need in the 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.

 

Additionally, 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.

 

The District Attorney’s office also urges anyone who is, or who believes someone they know is, the victim of a sex crime to call the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. Contact numbers at the Bronx District Attorneys Office, including one for victims of sex crimes, are included below:

Department	Phone #
General Information	718-590-2000
Bias Hotline	718-590-BIAS (2427)
Child Abuse/Sex Crimes Hotline	718-838-7344
Civilian Complaint Unit	718-590-2300
Community Engagement Unit	718-590-2272
Crime Victims Assistance Bureau	718-590-2115
Domestic Violence	718-838-6688
Elder Abuse	718 590-2260
Immigrant Affairs Unit	844-590-SCAM (7226)
Communications/Public Information	718-590-2234
U-VISA Hotline	718-590-VISA (8472)

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

Editor’s Note: The full list of charges were actually rape, robbery, strangulation, burglary, criminal obstruction of breathing, criminal trespass, assault and sexual abuse. Some were omitted inadvertently from an earlier version of this story.