Woman raped, robbed on East Harlem street by stranger in teddy bear T-shirt; attacker previously accused of groping

The New York Daily News - 5/9/2023

A young woman was raped and robbed on an East Harlem street by a stranger in a teddy bear T-shirt, police said Tuesday.

The homeless attacker had two open groping case at the time, according to cops.

Investigators tracked Geovanni Romero Gonzalez, 25, from the location he attacked a 21-year-old woman at 111th St. and Second Ave. at about 1:40 a.m. on Monday using street security surveillance video, police sources said.

The young woman told police that he tried to chat her up on the street, but she sensed trouble and tried to run off, according to cops.

Gonzalez chased her down, grabbed her and sexually assaulted her, police said.

He then took off east on E. 111th St. with her bag and cellphone, police said.

Cops released surveillance footage of the suspect and asked public’s help in identifying him and tracking him down.

It helped that he was wearing a black T-shirt with a colorful teddy bear design.

Police nabbed him Tuesday morning at the Randalls Island shelter and charged with rape, sexually motivated robbery, stalking and sex abuse.

Outside the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, when police lead Gonzalez to a police car to transport him to court he denied knowing about the crime.

“I don’t know, sir,” he said when asked how it happened. “I don’t know.”

Gonzalez is currently facing two open criminal cases in Queens. In 2021, he rubbed his private parts against a 15-year-old girl in the 82nd St. station of the 7 train, according to police sources.

In January, he was also charged with second-degree assault and harassment using the threat of physical contact and resisting arrest, according to court records.

On April 8, he was arrested on drug charges.