What to Know
- A man who allegedly raped a woman on her own front lawn has been arrested, police said
- Ever Martinez Reyes, 24, of Roosevelt, faces charges including first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse in connection with the attack
- He allegedly knocked the woman out and sexually assaulted her while she was walking back to her home in Freeport
A man who allegedly raped a woman on her own front lawn has been arrested, police said.
Ever Martinez-Reyes, 24, of Roosevelt, was arrested around 1 p.m. on Friday, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said at a news conference Saturday.
Police arrested Martinez-Reyes after receiving a tip that he was preparing to flee to El Salvador, Ryder said.
The alleged attacker came to the U.S. from El Salvador in 2010, crossing the Texas border, according to Ryder. Martinez-Reyes then returned to El Salvador, but crossed the border illegally again in 2014 and took up residence in Freeport, Ryder said.
Martinez-Reyes has been working in landscaping as a day laborer, and has no prior arrests or known gang affiliation, according to Ryder.
Police said the 36-year-old victim of the attack was walking back to her home in Freeport, on Long Island, around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 28 when Martinez-Reyes hit her in the face and knocked her unconscious.
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When the woman regained consciousness, she realized he was sexually assaulting her, according to police.
The woman threw a rock at the front window of her house in an attempt to seek help during the attack, which lasted an hour, according to police.
The woman was bruised and beaten around her face area and had internal injuries, but is "in recovery," Ryder said.
At the news conference, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas called the attack "one of the most brutal rapes that [she has] ever seen."
Martinez-Reyes has been charged with two counts of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree assault in connection with the Sept. 28 attack, and was expected to appear in court on Saturday, police said.
He faces up to 25 years in prison, Singas said. His attorney information wasn’t immediately available.
