PA - Fairmount Park Rapist, Philadelphia, 2003-2007 & knife attack 2023 *arrest*

[CharlesRedding]

2021 rbbm,

CBS3 Mysteries: Fairmount Park Rapist Has Haunted Detectives, Residents For 18 Years

Constant advances in technology bring investigators only closer to answers and yet, they acknowledge the hunt for justice has been painfully slow.

www.cbsnews.com

''Police recall his chilling words to his victims.

"He said they shouldn't come out here late at night, why are you out here by yourself, almost like protective at that point, almost as if it was a date," Burgmann said. "Pretty sick. Very sick individual, well there are four women here, one that he killed."

''Last month, new information and details were released by Philadelphia Police in hopes to revive the case. For the first time, police said the rapist was known to hold his knife in his left hand and that he wore an earring in his left ear.''

''Advances in science have also helped police tie the Fairmount Park Rapist to a specific family tree through genealogical mapping. That means police have identified members of his family, but so far, there has been no definitive breakthrough on who he is.

Even with the passage of time, to this day, there have been no hits on his DNA in national or global databases.''

I do wonder if he went back to his native country afterwards knowing they were on his tail. In that case it may be even more difficult to apprehend and extradite him to face justice.

 

[CharlesRedding]

This is terrifying. I ran for years along Fairmount Park, often alone at night.

I hope that his left-handedness stands out to someone.

Its amazing he killed Rebecca Park in broad daylight during the afternoon hours.

 

[dotr]

re post rbbm

Philly police release new sketches of the ‘Fairmount Park rapist,’ who is linked to four attacks, one murder

Nearly 20 years after he is alleged to have attacked the first of his 4 victims, the elusive "Fairmount Park Rapist" was back in the news Thursday when police announced developments in the open case.

www.inquirer.com

''Police said the victims had previously described the assailant as a Hispanic man who spoke with an accent, 5-foot-8 with a muscular build, black hair, a thin mustache or jawline beard, and bushy eyebrows. Some victims said he had a widow’s peak hairline and wore an earring in his left ear, police said, and he was seen riding away from two scenes on a purple bicycle.''

''During the attacks, the suspect told his victims that he was lonely, that he came from a large family, and that he was from Puerto Rico, said Capt. Mark Burgmann, head of the Special Victims Unit.

”The MO’s always the same. He’d come up from behind, put them in a headlock. He’d produce that knife and he’d threaten them and drag them out of the area,” said Burgmann.

The assailant first struck on April 30, 2003, when police say he raped a 21-year-old woman at knifepoint at Kelly Drive and Fountain Green Road.''

Search continues for Fairmount Park rapist - Northeast Times

Composite sketches of rape/murder suspect Ten years on, Philadelphia’s serial park rapist continues to elude identification and capture, but police refuse to quit their search for him. To mark the anniversary of the unknown predator’s first attack, authorities on Friday re-distributed wanted...

northeasttimes.com

2013
''In two cases, he fled on a metallic-purple 10-speed bicycle.

In the Pennypack Park rape, he wore matching light-blue basketball-style shirt and shorts with white trim on the shirt and white vertical stripes on the sides of the shorts. He also wore a gold chain with a crucifix pendant and had scars or blemishes on his upper left arm and torso.

Call the Special Victims Unit to report information about the case at 215–685–3251, or the Homicide Unit at 215–686–3335''

​

 

[ifindedout]

Police seek knife-wielding biker in series of Pennypack Trail attacks in Philly

Law enforcement officials are looking for a man who rides a black bike and slashed at least two people with a machete or large knife in a series of attacks that happened in November.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

Philadelphia police are on the lookout for a man who they say attacked two men with a large machete or knife and threatened a woman along the Pennypack Trail in Northeast Philadelphia.

The suspect is described as a thin Hispanic man between the ages of 50 and 60 weighing 180 pounds and standing 5-foot-10. He was riding a black or dark-colored bicycle in each attack, according to investigators.

Officials said the first incident happened on Nov. 22 at about 8:15 a.m., along Pennypack Trail in the area of the 2800 block of Holme Avenue.

At that time, police said a man running along the trail was approaching another man who was riding a bike. As the runner announced he was approaching from the rear, the man on the bike "became enraged" and produced a large knife that officials described as a machete, and slashed the victim several times.

Suspect sought after 2 people slashed on Pennypack Trail in Northeast Philadelphia

Philadelphia police are looking for the man who slashed people with a large knife during separate attacks in Pennypack Park.

6abc.com

[Around] 9 a.m. on Nov. 24, two people were walking along the trail in the area of 2800 Winchester Avenue when one of them was attacked by a bicyclist with a large knife.

The male victim was cut on his right arm and hands. He was treated for his injuries at Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital.

Police say a female recently contacted detectives to say she encountered a man on a black bicycle who became agitated and started yelling at her on the morning of Nov. 25.

The man tried to retrieve something that was tied to the bike, but she ran away and was not injured.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

It seems to be that the male has a machete-style knife tied to his bicycle that he seems to be riding," Philadelphia Police Inspector DeShawn Beaufort said Friday. "Without provocation from the victims, just immediately attacked them while they were along the trail."

On Nov. 22, a man was running along the 2800 block of Holme Avenue around 8:15 a.m when he was approached by a cyclist from behind. As the man drew closer to the bicyclist he announced his presence.

Moments later, the cyclist angrily pulled out a machete and slashed the runner multiple times on his arms and hands, police said. The runner was treated for his injuries at nearby Nazareth Hospital.

Philadelphia police search for knife-wielding man on bike after attacks in Pennypack Park

Police are searching for a man in the Pennypack Trail area after a series of violent attacks over the past few weeks.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[ifindedout]

Suspect arrested.

Philadelphia Police arrest suspect in Pennypack Park Trail slashings

Philadelphia police arrested a man accused of slashing two people with a knife and threatening another person in separate incidents on the Pennypack Park Trail back in November.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

Philadelphia police arrested a man accused of slashing two people with a knife and threatening another person in separate incidents on the Pennypack Park Trail back in November.

Elias Diaz, 46, was arrested Sunday along the 2800 block of Winchester Avenue and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and other related offenses.

 

[ifindedout]

There's the yet-uncaught Fairmount Park rapist of the 2000s:

PA - Fairmount Park Rapist, Philadelphia, 2003-2007 & knife attack 2023 *arrest*

Could the homeless man arrested Tuesday night in a subway attack be connected to other attacks on our area? NBC 10 has learned that police are checking to see if Omar Dela-Rosa could be responsible for other unsolved crimes including several sexual assaults and a murder in Fairmount Park two...

www.websleuths.com

Edited mention of the Pennypack Park rapist, who was later caught, and sentenced in 2016.

Pennypack Park rapist sentenced to 30-60 years

The Pennypack Park rapist of 2011 and 2012 will spend the next 30-60 years behind bars.

6abc.com

 

[ifindedout]

Story with mugshot.

Cyclist arrested in connection to knife attacks along Pennypack Trail: Philadelphia police

A man is in custody after a series of terrifying assaults unfolded on a popular trail in the Philadelphia area last month.

www.fox29.com

 

[sds71]

Fairmount Park Rapist/Murder suspect Elias Diaz through the years in ⁦@PhillyPolice
⁩ booking photos & police sketch artists renderings. Already charged with Pennypack Park machete attacks in November & to be “charged as soon as tonight, with Rebecca Park’s murder & rapes.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1737226786298053098

 

[TMAN2014]

Looks like they might have got this SOB. More information coming later. Let's see and cross our fingers.

Slashing suspect named person of interest in infamous Fairmount Park rape cold case

A machete-wielding man arrested for a series of knife attacks last month has been named a person of interest in connection with a 20-year-old rape case in Fairmount Park.

6abc.com

 

[dotr]

Slashing suspect named person of interest in infamous Fairmount Park rape cold case

A machete-wielding man arrested for a series of knife attacks last month has been named a person of interest in connection with a 20-year-old rape case in Fairmount Park.

6abc.com

Dec 19, 2023
Elias Diaz, 46, was arrested on Sunday for a string of assaults in Northeast Philadelphia. Later, police said DNA revealed he was connected to the "Fairmount Park Rapist" case.
''The suspect in the Pennypack Park Trail slashings may be connected to a series of rapes and a murder in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park two decades ago, police said.

Elias Diaz, 46, was arrested Sunday after he allegedly slashed two people with a knife and threatened another person in separate incidents on the Pennypack Park Trail back in November. ''

''What we know about Elias Diaz​

Court records obtained by NBC10 show Diaz had been arrested in Philadelphia in 2015 and faced charges related to "alcoholic beverages."

While investigators believe Diaz was living in the park "in the recent past," they're unsure where he resided over the past 20 years.

During the Tuesday afternoon press conference, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked anyone who may have been victimized by Diaz to call 911, Women Organized Against Rape at 215-985-3333 or Woman Against Abuse at 215-686-7082.''

 

[sds71]

DNA is a match, confirms Elias Diaz,46, is Rebecca Park’s killer & the ‘Fairmount Park Rapist’ after
@PhillyPolice
arrested him Sunday for Pennypack Park machete attacks.
@DA_LarryKrasner

@philadao has charged him with Rebecca’s murder.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1737505798035751211

 

[ifindedout]

Diaz is formally charged.

Suspect in Pennypack Trail slashings charged with 2003 Fairmount Park rapes and murder

The suspect in the Pennypack Park Trail slashings is now accused of raping multiple women and murdering a woman in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park two decades ago.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

Diaz's charges have been upgraded to include rape, attempted rape, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, aggravated assault and other related offenses. The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office will request that Diaz be held without bail on the new charges. He is already being held without bail in connection to Park's rape and murder.
[...]
Ultimately, the use of forensic genealogy linked the Fairmount Park attacks to Diaz, investigators said.

"Continued investigation into the family led to the tree being narrowed down to one particular branch of the tree within one family," Forensic Laboratory Manager Ryan Gallagher said. "Elias Diaz was identified as a potential person of interest."

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner credited technology with helping to make a major break in the cold case.

"Science outran this guy's bicycle," Krasner said. "Science got him. And that is a beautiful thing."
[...]
Court records obtained by NBC10 show Diaz had been arrested in Philadelphia in 2015 and faced charges related to "alcoholic beverages."

While investigators believe Diaz was living in the park "in the recent past," they're unsure where he resided over the past 20 years.