A man with a lengthy criminal history was finally apprehended in New York City this week, as shocking details emerged regarding the alleged rape of a teenage girl that led to his arrest.
Jermaine Parham, 33, was denied bail on charges of rape, robbery, and predatory sexual assault following a “violent and brazen” incident involving a 14-year-old girl in Manhattan’s Stuytown on January 29. Prosecutors stated he threatened her life during the assault.
“He followed her into the building, forced her onto the stairs, and assaulted her,” said prosecutor Joseph Goldstein in court. “He was holding a knife and threatening to kill her the entire time.”
Parham reportedly gained access to the building by closely following a resident who used a key card to enter before the door closed behind them.
Inside, he allegedly found the victim waiting for an elevator. A criminal complaint reveals that he seized her, took her into a stairwell, slammed her head against a rail, and forced her to undress at knifepoint.
After stealing her cell phone, he reportedly raped and assaulted her multiple times until someone else entered the stairwell, prompting him to flee with the stolen phone.
A Fugitive Task Force, comprised of NYPD officers and U.S. Marshals, eventually located Parham in upstate New York on Tuesday and brought him back to face charges in the city.
“I believe I have no choice but to remand you,” Judge Terry McCormick stated during Parham’s court appearance. “It’s necessary in this situation.”
Law enforcement officials reveal that Parham has over 20 arrests in his history and was wanted on multiple warrants at the time of this incident.
He was already dealing with two open cases, including one for grand theft, at the time he faced the rape charges.
According to officials, Parham had skirted justice on at least three occasions in the last two years while enrolled in counseling programs designed to keep offenders from going to prison.
His first break occurred after a theft arrest in April 2024, when he was assigned to a program but remained free despite three warrants issued for not showing up.
In March 2025, after pleading guilty to petty theft, he entered another program, which took him five months to complete.
He was arrested again on January 8 for allegedly stealing $1,835 worth of goods from a CVS store. At that arraignment, he was placed in yet another program, which he also failed to attend, leading to the outstanding warrant when he was charged with rape.
