BROOKLYN, N.Y. – A Queens man has been indicted on multiple felony charges in connection with a violent kidnapping and sexually motivated assault on a 25-year-old woman along Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
According to prosecutors, 48-year-old Rasi Vendryes allegedly attacked the woman inside his grey Sprinter-style van after luring her to a secluded area known as the “Penn Track,” a stretch near Malta Street and Linden Boulevard. Investigators say the assault occurred around 3 a.m. on December 31, 2023, when Vendryes allegedly beat, strangled, and sexually assaulted the victim while threatening to kill her.
The woman escaped after managing to roll down a window and scream for help before being pushed from the moving vehicle. Vendryes then allegedly fled with her phone, jacket, and purse. The victim later sought medical attention and reported injuries consistent with the attack. Her phone was eventually traced to a Queens park near the defendant’s residence.
The District Attorney said the victim came forward in August 2024 after encountering an NYPD Human Trafficking Team detective during outreach operations in the same area. The victim later identified Vendryes through a photo lineup, leading to his arrest.
Vendryes has been charged with second-degree kidnapping, first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree strangulation as a sexually motivated felony, and second-degree robbery as a sexually motivated felony, among related counts. He was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter, who set bail at $75,000 cash or $150,000 bond. He is due back in court January 28, 2026.
Authorities urged anyone who believes they may have been victimized by the defendant to contact the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Hotline at 718-250-2770.
