Bucharest woman, 27, escapes knife-wielding rapist by tricking him into walking her home; suspect arrested
A 27-year-old woman escaped a sexual assault in Bucharest’s Sector 2 early Saturday by convincing her attacker to accompany her home, then locking him out and calling emergency services. Police arrested the suspect minutes later.
The attack
In the early hours of Saturday, 4 July 2026, a 27-year-old woman was walking on Strada Măgura Vulturului in Bucharest’s Sector 2 when a man approached her. According to investigators, he covered her mouth with his hand and threatened her with a knife. Under duress, he forced her to a secluded parking lot nearby, where he sexually assaulted her and attempted to undress her.
Taking advantage of the victim's inability to express her will, caused by the threat and the obvious difference in strength, the man engaged in oral sexual intercourse with her without her consent.
The escape
To break free, the victim devised a plan. She proposed to the attacker that they go to her home together. Once they reached the building, she seized a moment of inattention, rushed inside the stairwell, and locked the door behind her, blocking his access. She then dialled the national emergency number 112.
In an attempt to secure her escape, the victim proposed that the man accompany her to her home. Later, taking advantage of a moment of inattention by the aggressor, the victim managed to enter the stairwell of her apartment building and block his access, after which she called the emergency number 112.
Police response
Officers from Police Station 8 were dispatched immediately after the 112 call, around 01:15. While one team assisted the victim, other patrols from Stations 8 and 9 began searching the area. Based on the description provided by the woman, a patrol from Station 8, accompanied by a gendarme from the Bucharest General Directorate of Gendarmes, spotted a man matching the suspect on Șoseaua Iancului.
Upon seeing the patrol, the man tried to flee through an alley and did not comply with legal orders to stop. The patrol immediately pursued him and, after a prompt intervention, managed to catch and immobilize him.
Near the arrest site, officers found a knife under a car. Investigators believe it was the weapon used in the attack, discarded by the suspect as he tried to escape.
- Woman is approached on Strada Măgura Vulturului, threatened with a knife, and forced to a nearby parking lot.
- Victim is sexually assaulted and forced to perform oral sex. She then proposes going to her home, enters the building, and locks the door.
- Victim calls emergency number 112. Police dispatch units to the scene.
- Police spot suspect on Șoseaua Iancului matching description; he tries to flee but is caught and immobilized. Knife found under a car.
Legal proceedings
The suspect was taken to the police station for questioning. Based on the evidence gathered, he was detained for 24 hours on charges of rape and unlawful deprivation of liberty. He is expected to appear before the Sector 2 Court on Sunday, 5 July, with a proposal for preventive arrest. The investigation continues under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Sector 2 Court.
