A Brooklyn man faces serious charges after an alleged attempt to sexually assault a woman in broad daylight while she jogged through Shirley Chisholm State Park. Amadou Kane, 22, from East New York, was arraigned before Supreme Court Justice Michael Kitsis and is confronted with first-degree attempted rape and robbery, among other charges, reported the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.
According to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, the incident unfolded on September 12, 2023 , when the 51-year-old victim was jogging around 4:30 p.m. and was attacked from behind after noticing Kane on a bicycle. The accused allegedly knocked her down, punched her several times, and threatened her with a knife. “This defendant is alleged to have followed the victim during a daylight jog and attempt to rape her. Luckily, he was foiled by a stranger. Thanks to painstaking work of state troopers and my office he was identified and will now be brought to justice,” Gonzalez stated in the release. Bail for Kane has been set at $150,000 cash or $350,000 bond, he was ordered to return to court on April 25.
The prosecution's case, led by Senior Assistant District Attorney Chelsea Jacobi and Assistant District Attorney Christina Oddo, rests on a meticulous investigation including financial records, cell site data, and social media. A pivotal moment in the altercation occurred when the victim managed to remove Kane's mask, allowing her to allegedly identify him as her assailant. The attacker fled the scene with the woman's Apple Watch as a person on a motorcycle approached, later using Apple Pay to purchase water which contributed to his identification. Special thanks were given by the District Attorney to Paralegal Diamond Bertrand of the Special Victims Bureau for her assistance on the case.
Investigative efforts by New York State Troopers Christopher Miller, Juan Orejuela, and Dimitrios Papadatos, who performed canvassing for surveillance footage, were instrumental in Kane's arrest. The video evidence showed the defendant fleeing the park and heading to a nearby shop, immediately following the crime. The case is under further supervision by Assistant District Attorney Ebonie Legrand, Deputy Bureau Chief, and Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief of the Special Victims Bureau.
