May 28, 2021- 1:14 p.m.
New York City Police are searching for a man accused of raping three teenage girls in Queens.
The incidents allegedly occurred between October 2020 and May 2021.
According to police Dwayne Gordon, 41, of Springfield Gardens, is wanted in connection to separate incidents where he allegedly drugged and raped three of his daughter’s 13-year-old friends.
In a statement to Newsweek, police said the alleged incidents took place on separate occasions when the girls stayed over Gordon’s house for sleepovers with his daughter.
Police described Gordon as approximately 5-foot-10, about 180 pounds with brown eyes and short black hair. Police said he also has a Jamaican accent.
Police have not released any other information about the investigation or the victims.
The NYPD is asking for help locating Gordon. Anyone with information regarding these incidents can call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are confidential.
According to NYPD data released earlier this month, the number of rape reports has increased in the past year. April 2021 saw 110 reported rapes, an almost 53 percent increase from April 2020. There have been 444 reported rapes so far this year.
However, the NYPD said that rape continues to be underreported.
“We acknowledge that rape is an underreported crime and we encourage victims and survivors to always please come forward,” an NYPD spokesperson told the New York Post.
Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant who teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said he doesn’t think this spike is a coincidence.
“People are out going to bars and restaurants again at 50 percent capacity,” he told the New York Post.
“As New Yorkers get vaccinated and start venturing out to the bar and nightclub scene, just beware of your surroundings and who you hang out with,” he added. “Don’t let your guard down, don’t drink to excess, and never leave a friend behind.”
The overall index of crime in New York City has increased about 30 percent from April of last year.
According to the NYPD report, there was a 66 percent increase in grand larceny, a 35.6 percent increase in felony assault, a 28.6 percent increase in robbery and a 3.7 percent increase in gun arrests this year compared to the previous year.
Burglary was the only index crime to have decreased, down 26 percent from April 2020.
“The NYPD is relentless in its mission to maintain public safety for all New Yorkers,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in the crime statistics press release. “The selfless work our officers carry out – day after day, night after night – is one important part of the entire criminal justice system’s process, a process where all pieces must work together to be wholly effective.”
