Accused cabbie impersonator jailed on $750,000 bond in rape case, cops say

A Central Islip man pleaded not guilty Sunday to first-degree rape charges stemming from an assault in which police said he impersonated a taxi driver and raped a women in Patchogue early Saturday.

Adil Raja, 22, of 337 Nicoll Ave., Central Islip, remained in jail Sunday evening with bail set at $750,000 bond or $250,000 cash, neither of which have been posted, according to online court records.

Suffolk police arrested Raja early Saturday after a 22-year-old woman reported being raped.

The woman told police she was walking at the corner of Bay Avenue and East Main Street in Patchogue about 4 a.m. when she was approached by a man driving a green Lincoln who indicated he was a cabdriver and offered her a ride. The woman accepted and asked to be taken to an area near a store in Patchogue.

Raja instead took her to a different location, displayed a BB gun and sexually assaulted her in the back of the vehicle, police said.

The woman escaped from the car and called 911. After her description of the vehicle was broadcast over police radio a short time later, a Fifth Precinct officer stopped a similar car on the Sunrise Highway's North Service Road in Patchogue. Raja was positively identified and arrested, police said.

The investigation continues, police said, and detectives said anyone who may have been a victim of a similar incident could call the Fifth Squad at 631-854-8552.

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.