Metro

Falsely accused ‘Gentleman Groper’ can sue for false arrest

A jury will get to decide the case of a clean-cut bible-thumper who sued the city after he was wrongly arrested for manhandling women.

Eager to solve a spate of gropings in tony neighborhoods, the NYPD zeroed in on Karl Vanderwoude, 28, after receiving an anonymous tip.

When detectives knocked on the door of his Brooklyn apartment in April 2012, Vanderwoude willingly went with them.

Vanderwoude, who bears a striking resemblance to actual “Gentleman Groper” Paul Kraft, was then arrested after a victim picked him out of a lineup.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office later dropped the charges when Vanderwoude was able to prove he wasn’t anywhere near the crimes. Kraft was eventually nabbed and confessed.