Rape Reports Double in Riverdale After Law Change

Incidents of rape in greater Riverdale more than doubled compared to last year.

The increase is reflected in statistics from the 50th Precinct, which patrols Riverdale, Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Marble Hill and Spuyten Duyvil. 

Released weekly, the Sept. 14 report showed a 137.5 percent increase in year-to-date incidents — from 8 to 19. 

There have been no reported cases this week and no reported cases in September, either. 

All other major crimes, including murder, robbery and assault, are either unchanged or down from the previous year. 

According to the New York Police Department, the rise in reported incidents is partly due to a legislative change that broadened the legal definition of rape. 

In September 2024, the Rape is Rape Act went into effect in New York State. Previously, rape was classified as nonconsensual heterosexual penetration. 

Now, it includes nonconsensual anal, oral or vaginal sexual contact. This covers any touching of intimate areas, directly or through clothing. 

The act was originally introduced in 2012, after Lydia Cuomo, a schoolteacher, was raped by a police officer in Inwood the year before. 

The officer was charged with rape, but was not initially convicted as the jury could not agree on proof of vaginal penetration. 

He was found guilty of other sexual crimes, and eventually pleaded guilty to rape, but the case exposed a clear injustice in the system. 

The increase in reports is reflected throughout the borough as the Bronx saw a 27.5 percent rise, from 298 incidents to 380 year-to-date. Citywide, cases increased 21.3 percent — from 1,182 to 1,434.

Adrienne Giunta, deputy chief of the special victims division at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, said an increase in reports doesn’t always mean an increase in violence. 

“We are always encouraging victims — especially of sex crimes, domestic violence, sexual assault … to disclose and to report,” she said. “It may be an indicator that people are more comfortable reporting.” 

In her decade with the special victims division and 25 years in the district attorney’s office, Giunta said she’s seen survivors’ relationships with authorities change over time.

“They know there are resources available to help, and they know that law enforcement is more of a tool to get them to a place where they can receive support, and not just to punish the accused,” she said. 

Giunta also noted it’s too soon to know if the legislation change makes it easier to prosecute rapists. But, adjusting the language makes sex crimes carry the same weight. 

It also helps survivors, as a crime may be easier to prove without forcing them to relive the specifics of their trauma in court. 

Resources in the Bronx for rape surivors are limited. Three hospitals have Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs) on staff who provide immediate medical support and crisis counseling. 

Manhattan has nine, despite the borough’s population being only about 200,000 people larger than the Bronx’s, 1.6 million compared to 1.4 million. 

SAFE Designated Centers focus on the hours and days after an assault. For long-term support, survivors are referred to outside organizations. 

Beyond that, two major nonprofits are present in the Bronx, Safe Horizon and Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC). 

Safe Horizon, the largest victim services nonprofit in the country, has a 24-hour hotline, counseling, support groups, housing and legal system assistance, among other services.

Changing Futures, a program at KHCC, works with 300 Bronx children and families annually who have been impacted by sexual and domestic violence. 

It provides free, long-term treatment, regardless of immigration status, including several forms of therapy, prevention workshops and other advocacy. 

Yadirys Batista, assistant director and crisis coordinator of Changing Futures, said many survivors who contact KHCC do so months or years after the assault. Some of those served are as young as 8 years old. 

Batista said she has not noticed an increase in clients, but some may not be aware of the resources available, adding a lack of support for survivors in the Bronx is due to funding. 

 “We feel [the Bronx] is underserved,” she said. Even after doing a lot of advocacy, that’s something not really passed through to those that have the power to make those programs.” 

She added, “But within our community, this is something we have always done our best to keep providing. It’s something that is needed.

KHCC’s crisis hotline can be reached at (718) 884-0700 ext. 193.