Crime & Safety

North Haven Police Arrest Man Facing Sexual Assault, Robbery Charges in New York State

A Hamden man was arrested by the North Haven Police Department on charges by the Suffern, New York, police.

On Sept. 5, the North Haven Police Department arrested a Hamden man who was wanted by New York authorities for sexually assaulting, and beating a New York state woman with a hammer as a one-year-old child looked on last week.

Joseph Fortier, 29, who reportedly lives at 183 London Drive in Hamden, was charged with felony counts of first-degree rape, first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal sex act, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and fourth-degree grand larceny for allegedly stealing the car title, according to www.lohud.com, a division of the Journal News.

He also is charged with two misdemeanor counts of obstruction of breathing and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, according to the report.

Find out what's happening in North Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police in Suffern, New York, held the warrant for Fortier and contacted North Haven Police Department, who on Thursday picked him up. They're now holding him for extrication to New York State, according to the report.

According to reports, Fortier attacked a 36-year-old woman, hitting her in the head with a hammer and sexually assaulting her in front of the child. He allegedly also forced her to open a safe and give him the title of a vehicle, according to reports.

Find out what's happening in North Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The attack allegedly occurred between 1 and 4 a.m. Thursday morning and North Haven Police took Fortier into custody around 9 p.m. the same day, according to the report.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.