Who is Ramon Rotestan? Suspect in Bronx elevator rape was a convicted sex offender out on parole
BRONX, NEW YORK: A high-risk sex offender who was recently paroled was arrested again on Thursday, May 12, for brutally raping a woman at knifepoint in a Bronx elevator this week. Ramon Rotestan, 39, had been released only six weeks ago after spending 16 years in jail. Police said that he turned himself in at the 49th Precinct.
A video of Ramon's crime was captured on a surveillance camera. Ramon has a history of sexual abuse and has been arrested multiple times on earlier occasions. He had been paroled only weeks ago before he committed a similar crime yet again.
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Who is Ramon Rotestan?
A Level 3 offender, Rotestan was arrested for rape twice earlier — once on December 11, 2005, and again on February 2, 2006. In February 2006, he was busted for attempted rape, police sources confirmed. He was armed with a knife during each of these incidents, approached his victim in an elevator, and also robbed them. “That’s his M.O.,” New York Post quoted a police source as saying.
On March 30, Rotestan was released on parole from state prison, where he was being held on rape, sexual abuse, and burglary charges. His parole is reportedly set to expire in March 2027. He was ordered held without bail at his arraignment on Thursday night, May 12, at Bronx Criminal Court.
“This defendant has a long history of not only violently assaulting women but also failing to abide by court orders,” Assistant District Attorney Tala Nazareno told the court. Nazareno added that Rotestan’s alleged rape that took place this week “is not just eerily similar, it is almost identical to the conduct committed by the defendant during the 2005 incidents that led to the defendant’s Bronx County convictions." “In each of those incidents, the defendant followed a female complaining witness into an elevator and sexually assaulted her,” said Nazareno.
Records have revealed that Rotestan has also served time for first-degree robbery, attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance, and criminal possession of a controlled substance. “Our most violent prisoners are continuously being released despite being a danger to the community, all for a second chance,” a police source said. “We’re doing a disservice to the community and almost being complicit in their next crime.”
The latest incident took place at around 10 pm Monday, May 9, when Rotestan followed the woman into the building at Bolton Street and Lydig Avenue in Pelham Parkway, according to authorities. He stalked the woman as she entered the elevator, and threatened her with a knife, saying "this is a robbery, don’t do anything stupid."
Another failure of NY’s criminal justice system. What will it take to open the eyes of politicians!?!
— Detectives' Endowment Association (@NYCPDDEA) May 12, 2022
Recently paroled, high-risk sex offender Ramon Rotestan was arrested Thursday for the brutal, knifepoint rape of a woman in a Bronx elevator this week.
➡️https://t.co/qE2YEGehok pic.twitter.com/ZCsYCq6W5W
He then made the woman "turn around” and “face the elevator” wall before raping her. He also stole $112 from the victim, police said. The woman was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center for treatment. Authorities confirmed that Rotestan has been charged with rape and sexually motivated robbery.