Man accused of drugging, raping women at his South Beach condo

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. ā€“ Miami Beach police arrested a 41-year-old man Monday, accusing him of luring women to his South Beach condominium and raping them.

According to police reports, two of the women said Jeremy Bittner sexually assaulted them, while another woman said she was able to get away before he could rape her, despite being drugged.

The reports listed Bittnerā€™s occupation as a biochemist.

In the first known incident, on Oct. 29, Bittner picked up a 25-year-old victim from Miami International Airport after she flew to South Florida, having agreed to rent a room in his West Avenue condo, a report states.

Police said after arriving to Bittnerā€™s condo, the woman noticed a number of drugs laying on a table, including what she believed to be methamphetamine, ketamine and cocaine, which caused her to feel uncomfortable.

She said Bittner then took some cocaine.

After that, the woman said he became violent, grabbing her hair, police said.

The report states that after the woman told Bittner to stop, he grabbed a gun from his nightstand and told her to ā€œget with the program.ā€

After telling Bittner not to touch or pull her hair again, he became ā€œagitatedā€ and raped her on the couch, police wrote. After going to the bathroom following the first assault, police said Bittner confronted and raped her again.

Police said she tried fighting off Bittner both times. They said she saved her panties following the assaults in order to preserve them as evidence.

In the second incident, a 41-year-old woman said she became acquaintances with Bittner in 2020 and had ā€œhung outā€ with him as friends prior to being sexually assaulted, a report states.

The report states the woman began visiting Bittner as he was in the process of separating from his wife. She told police that Bittner had attempted to have sex with her previously but she refused his advances.

She said on the morning of Jan. 30, Bittner called the woman and asked her to come over, which she did, the report states.

After stepping inside, police said she saw Bittner ā€œsmoking crack and ingesting cocaineā€ and asked her if she wished to join him, which she refused.

Police said Bittner then offered her ecstasy, which she also refused, but she did accept a glass of wine.

ā€œShortly after consuming the glass of wine, she began to feel very drowsy and began to forget things, which made (the victim) feel as if (Bittner) drugged her by placing something in her drink,ā€ the investigating officer wrote. ā€œ(He) began removing her articles of clothing, leaving her nude, but due to her altered state, believed to be the result of being drugged, she was unable to defend herself.ā€

The victim told police that Bittner snorted a line of cocaine off of her chest and sexually assaulted her, according to police.

After telling Bittner to stop, to no avail, the woman was able to fight him off and escape, leaving behind a sandal, police said.

An officer noted ā€œvisible bruisingā€ after the woman reported the attack.

In the third incident, a 34-year-old woman who lives in Bittnerā€™s building told police that on Feb. 3, he made small talk with her while they were in the elevator together, a report states.

Police said Bittner followed the woman out of the elevator and asked her if she wanted to go to his place for drinks. She declined, but the two exchanged numbers.

The next day, the woman said she agreed to have drinks with Bittner at his apartment, the report states.

Police said Bittner offered the woman cocaine, which she declined, but did accept the offer of a vodka and ginger ale.

As she drank the beverage, Bittner again offered her drugs, which she declined, causing him to become ā€œirritatedā€ and throw a pack of what she suspected to be cocaine at her, the report states.

After declining another offer of drugs and leaving her drink on the table and sitting on the sofa, the victim told police that she became ā€œsuspiciousā€ after Bittner began refilling her ā€œalmost fullā€ drink without her asking, police wrote.

Police said he then offered her a shot of vodka, which she accepted, but only took a sip and began to feel ā€œextremely relaxed.ā€

After noticing the woman didnā€™t drink the full shot, Bittner ā€œforcefully poured the liquid into her mouth,ā€ officers wrote.

The woman said her next memory was of waking up on Bittnerā€™s sofa as he grabbed her by the neck and attempted to sexually assault her, police said. Eventually, she fought him off and left his apartment.

According to police, the victim told investigators that Bittner then texted the woman photos of her as she slept on the sofa and later apologized to her, saying he ā€œaimed to please.ā€

In the days following the incident, police said the victim began to remember more about what happened after finding additional photos and videos on her phone, police said.

Police said one of the photos showed the victim, with slurred speech, asking Bittner why he drugged her.

Bittner was heard calling the woman a ā€œdumb little subā€ who ā€œwanted to be drugged,ā€ the report states. The woman is then heard saying she did not want to be drugged, officers wrote, to which Bittner replied ā€œthen why did you let yourself?ā€

The woman told police that she believed that Bittner may have recorded the attack on a windowsill-mounted camera, police said.

Bittner denied the allegations in an interview with Miami Beach police, according to the reports, calling the first two incidents ā€œconsensualā€ and saying the third incident was ā€œnever sexual in natureā€ and he was just being ā€œniceā€ to the victim.

But police didnā€™t believe him, arresting him on charges of sexual battery, attempted sexual battery, armed kidnapping and false imprisonment.

He was being held without bond in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to police.

Neighbors told Local 10 News they were ā€œshocked,ā€ ā€œcluelessā€ and ā€œdisgustedā€ after hearing of Bittnerā€™s arrest.

Miami Beach police were seen taking evidence from his condominium Tuesday.


About the Authors

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.

Glenna Milberg joined Local 10 News in September 1999 to report on South Florida's top stories and community issues. She also serves as co-host on Local 10's public affairs broadcast, "This Week in South Florida."

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