What to Know
- Surveillance video captured a man strolling naked through Brooklyn early one morning in August
- Just a couple of weeks later and a few blocks away, a woman was attacked by a naked man who fits his description
- Police are investigating whether the two incidents are connected
Surveillance video captured a naked man’s leisurely stroll through the streets of Brooklyn, and now police are investigating whether he's behind a much more serious crime.
The man took the early morning jaunt last month in the Flatlands neighborhood. He wasn’t even wearing shoes as he moseyed down East 52nd Street at 6 a.m. on Aug. 12.
A little over two weeks later, on Aug. 29, a woman was attacked by a naked man fitting the same description just three blocks away.
The woman was walking near East 55th Street and Avenue J when a naked man came up to her from behind just after 11 p.m. Police say the man grabbed her by the neck, threw her to the ground and then forcibly touched her.
The woman was able to get away but the naked man was never found. With two incidents involving a man in the buff in as many weeks, police are looking into the possibility of a connection.
Residents said they were stunned when they saw the man make the walk. Peter Akiniti confronted the man, who he called a "troubled soul," when he saw him walking in the nude.
"I said, 'You know I know you,' and he stopped and said 'help me, pray for me,'" he said.
Another resident said she called police after he saw her walking by in the buff.
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"He wasn't aggressive, he even waved at me the next time he saw me," she said. "He knows what he is doing, and I don't think it's cute at all."
The NYPD's Special Victims Unit is investigating. Police said they're looking for a man in his mid to late 20s. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
