OC Rape Suspect Remains At Large

OCEAN CITY - The Ocean City Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a male suspect who violently attacked and raped a woman early last Saturday morning in the area of 49^th Street.

The attack and rape occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. OC police detectives are searching for a Hispanic male in his mid 20s. The suspect has short dark hair, around 5'7' to 6' tall with an average build and possibly some facial hair. The suspect may have bruises or scars on both hands. At the time of the attack, he was wearing a light colored shirt with blue horizontal stripes, jeans and possibly sneakers.

The suspect was seen on 49^th Street just prior to the attack and fled to the beach area after several citizens attempted to detain him. Several citizens reported seeing the suspect on 49^th Street and later on the beach. The attack touched off a massive manhunt including helicopters, but the suspect has eluded capture and remains at large.

Anyone with information about the attack and/or the suspect's identity or whereabouts is encouraged to contact the OCPD's Criminal Investigation Division at 410-723-6604, Detective First-Class Shawn Jones at 410-723-6661, or the OCPD front desk at 410-723-6610. Quite often, citizen hunches turn out to be valuable information for the police department. Anyone with information about the crime is also encouraged to call or leave an email at OCPD@ococean.com.