Two migrants were arrested in Coney Island for a brutal knifepoint rape, including one who had been released from jail just two months earlier after sexually assaulting a different woman at a city-funded shelter, authorities revealed on Monday.
Daniel Davon-Bonilla, 24, from Nicaragua, allegedly assaulted a 46-year-old woman by throwing her to the ground and raping her while holding a knife to her throat on Sunday around 9 p.m. under the Riegelmann Boardwalk. His alleged accomplice, Leovando Moreno, 37, a Mexican migrant, is accused of striking the woman’s 34-year-old boyfriend with a pipe when he tried to intervene.
Davon-Bonilla, who reportedly crossed the U.S. border illegally in Texas in December 2022, had a prior record. In April, he was arrested for allegedly raping a woman at a La Quinta Hotel in Park Slope, which had been converted into a migrant shelter. After spending about a year in jail, he took a plea deal in June, which resulted in his release.
Sunday’s horrific attack occurred near Surf Avenue and West 16th Street, in a poorly lit area under the boardwalk where vagrants often camp out. According to sources, the victim had been living under the boardwalk with her boyfriend for two weeks. Davon-Bonilla approached her while she was alone, offering trinkets in exchange for sex. When she refused, he attacked, choking and raping her. The woman’s boyfriend arrived during the assault and tried to help, but Moreno blindsided him with a pipe.
Davon-Bonilla has been charged with first-degree rape, second-degree assault, first-degree sexual abuse, menacing, and criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty during a late-night arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Monday and was held without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
Davon-Bonilla initially entered the U.S. illegally through Eagle Pass, Texas, in December 2022. After being detained by Border Patrol, he told agents he intended to live in Miami but eventually moved to New York City, where he committed the previous sexual assault. Despite his criminal history, Davon-Bonilla remained in the U.S. after his release from jail in June, with sources blaming New York’s sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Moreno, who is homeless, was arraigned on charges of second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon for his role in the Sunday attack. He pleaded not guilty and was held on $20,000 cash bail. His lawyer claimed Moreno did not know Davon-Bonilla and was merely trying to break up a fight between Davon-Bonilla and the woman’s boyfriend. Moreno is also due back in court on Friday.
The victim was taken to Coney Island Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition, while her boyfriend refused medical attention at the scene.
The Coney Island boardwalk has become a known area for vagrants and homeless migrants, with many, including those ejected from city-funded shelters, setting up camp there. Residents describe the area as dangerous and unsettling, with one local mother warning that it feels like a “trap” with “dangerous people” lurking in the shadows.