Pennsylvania man accused of raping 95-year-old woman at senior living community

A Pennsylvania man is accused of raping a 95-year-old woman inside her home at a Montgomery County senior living community.

John Vernon Gray, 22, of Telford, Pennsylvania, is charged with rape, sexual assault, indecent assault, burglary and other related offenses.

The investigation began on May 14, 2025, when police were called to the Dock Woods Senior Living Community in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. A 95-year-old resident in the community told police she was sleeping on May 10, 2025, around 3 a.m., when she woke up to a man standing inside her bedroom.

When the woman asked him what he wanted he replied by telling her, “I want you,” according to the criminal complaint. The woman said the man told her he saw her in the cafeteria and that she was beautiful.

The man then raped the woman while she was in bed, according to the criminal complaint. The woman told police the man then continued to talk to her, claiming he lived in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and that he also lived in a group home. The woman said the man was pacing back and forth and begged her not to tell anyone about what happened, according to the criminal complaint. The woman said the man then left her residence through the front door which had been unlocked. She told police she believed the man was inside her residence for about an hour.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.

That same morning, around 4:30 a.m., Towamencin Police responded to a mental health emergency at an apartment on Stockton Drive, about a mile away from the Dock Woods community. When they arrived, they found a man – who they later identified as John Vernon Gray – who was suicidal. The man was taken to the hospital for mental health treatment.

After a lengthy investigation, including an analysis of cellphone records, police identified Gray as the suspect in the rape and matched his DNA to DNA found on the clothing of the victim, investigators said. Police also linked Gray to an earlier incident at Dock Woods on May 10, 2025, in which someone tried to break into a 79-year-old woman’s home.

Investigators also linked Gray to two additional break-ins that occurred on Nov. 8, 2025, at Dock Woods and a nearby facility. During one of of those incidents, a woman was indecently assaulted, according to the criminal complaint.

After one of the incidents on Nov. 8, police spotted a car that was leaving the area and followed it to the nearby apartment on Stockton Drive. Investigators said Gray lived at the apartment with his girlfriend. They also said when they spoke with Gray, he was wearing the same clothes as the person involved in one of the incidents.

As of now, Gray has only been charged in the sexual assault that occurred on May 10, 2025, though police continue to investigate.

Gray is currently in custody at Montgomery County Prison after his bail was denied. Online court records don’t list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Neighbors told NBC10 a home was searched in Telford, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 10, 2026, that may be connected to the investigation. It’s unclear at this time if any evidence was taken from the house.