A 31-year-old Queens man is being held without bail after investigators say he tied up and raped an 18-year-old woman at knifepoint inside his South Jamaica apartment, then linked him to two separate child kidnapping cases from 2024. Stephon Sanderson pleaded not guilty to rape, predatory sexual assault and sexual abuse charges when he appeared in Queens Criminal Court, following an arrest that began with an out-of-state traffic warrant.
According to New York Daily News, the 18-year-old woman met Sanderson inside his apartment near Sutphin Boulevard and 116th Drive in South Jamaica, where he allegedly threatened her with a knife, bound her, and sexually assaulted her on May 12, 2025. She was treated at a local hospital for injuries from the attack, per the same report. Sanderson was also charged in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a 9-year-old girl in Queens in 2024 and the kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl in Queens the same year, though police did not immediately provide details about either 2024 incident, the outlet reported.
A DUI Stop That Unraveled Into Multiple Felony Cases
Sanderson's path into the criminal justice system began far from the alleged rape scene. He was first arrested in New York on September 1 after being picked up on an out-of-state DUI warrant out of Pennsylvania, the Daily News reported. Under New York Criminal Procedure Law § 570, the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act allows warrantless arrest for an out-of-state crime punishable by death or more than one year, according to the New York State Senate. That stop is what ultimately connected Sanderson to detectives investigating the South Jamaica rape and the earlier kidnapping cases.
A judge ordered Sanderson held without bail. New York criminal procedure law authorizes judges to remand defendants without bail when charged with qualifying violent felony offenses, including First-Degree Rape and Class A felonies such as Predatory Sexual Assault, according to the New York State Senate.
Life Sentence Looms Under Predatory Sexual Assault Charge
The severity of the charges against Sanderson stems from how New York classifies the alleged conduct. Predatory Sexual Assault under Penal Law § 130.95 is a Class A-II felony carrying a mandatory indeterminate sentence with a minimum of 10 to 25 years and a maximum of life imprisonment, according to Saland Law. The kidnapping charges are also part of the case.
The alleged rape happened in May 2025, and the kidnapping allegations date to 2024. Violent felony sex crimes like First-Degree Rape and Predatory Sexual Assault carry no criminal statute of limitations in New York, Saland Law notes, meaning charges can be brought regardless of when the alleged assault occurred.
NYPD Seeks Additional Victims
Investigators have released an image of Sanderson and are asking anyone who may have been victimized by him to come forward, according to the Daily News. Survivors can reach the NYPD Special Victims Division's dedicated 24-hour hotline, which connects callers directly with specialized detectives handling complex squad investigations, as reported by Norwood News. That number is (212) 267-7273.
The Queens District Attorney's Office also supports survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking, according to the Queens District Attorney.
A Precinct Already Grappling With Rising Crime
Midyear 2026 CompStat data analyzed by Vital City shows major crime complaints in the NYPD's 113th Precinct rose 22.4% compared to the same period in 2025.
Sanderson's case remains in its early stages, and the charges against him are allegations that have not been proven in court. The charges concern all three incidents.
