Suspected Orlando serial rapist arrested, officials say

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla – An alleged Orlando serial rapist who was out on bond for previous sexual assault arrests is behind bars, according to deputies.

According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Vincent Laing Jr. was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon amid an investigation into the alleged attack on a 41-year-old woman.

The woman called police after meeting Laing on Tuesday, whom she met through a “hookup” website, according to an affidavit. He told her to meet him at an abandoned and under-construction house in Wellington.

Laing reportedly threatened the woman with a kitchen knife and forced her to have oral, vaginal and anal sex with him, which he recorded.

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At one point, the woman directly asked Laing if he would rape her, and he responded “yes,” according to the affidavit. When she asked why he did this, he replied, “Because I can.”

He gave her $20 before she left the house, the affidavit said.

The woman initially said she would not report the incident to law enforcement, but found Laing’s behavior “unusual” and suspected “he had done this before,” the affidavit said.

She searched his phone number, which turned up his name – and the woman said she found several news articles about Laing, who had previously been arrested on sexual assault charges in Orlando, the affidavit continues.

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A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective contacted an Orlando Police Department detective who confirmed there are five cases they have worked on in which Laing is the suspect.

FOX 35 was able to locate two incidents outside of Orange County – from June and August 2023 – that share a similar pattern to the Palm Beach County incident.

The affidavit also addressed these similarities, including meeting the victim through personal ads and social media, committing the attack in abandoned houses, possessing a knife and recording the events on his phone.

Laing was located, arrested and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail without bail.

This is a developing story.