Attempted Rape In Quiet Section Of Greenpoint Has Residents On Alert
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Residents in a quiet Brooklyn neighborhood are hoping for a quick arrest, after an attempted rape happened on the street in the middle of the night.
CBS2's Clark Fouraker talked to shocked residents who said violent crime is rare in their area.
After a day of canvassing the Greenpoint section of the borough, police have not released a surveillance camera image of the man they say sexually assaulted a woman in the street close to the Richardson Street and Kingsland Avenue intersection.
"I'm scared and I hope that she's okay and it's really unnerving considering we have families in this neighborhood," resident Laura Lepre said.
Police said the victim, a 27-year-old woman originally from Australia, has lived in the area four months.
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On Thursday morning, residents were shocked to see sidewalks taped off, and patrol cars parked along their quiet street.
"First of all I thought it was a car chase or something, because I saw all of the tape. But then they told me it was that assault. You know it's kind of scary, but I've never really been afraid in this area," Williamsburg resident Deborah Doe said.
The victim was leaving a bar near her building at around 2 a.m., police said.
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Police sources told CBS2's Fouraker she was walking home alone to her apartment down around the corner, when she was attacked from behind.
Police said the man threw her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. Residents said a number of bars in the area stay open late, and because of low crime people often walk home alone.
"They're high risk at the night, you know, walking around by themselves," East Williamsburg resident Junior Vascuez said. "There needs to be more cops going around, you know."
Police said after the attacker ran away, the woman walked to a police precinct a mile and a half away on Union Avenue to report the crime.
"I think that often I'm looking at my phone too much when I'm walking on the street, and maybe I should be paying attention a little bit more. Because this is a little bit of a wake-up call," Lepre said.
So far, police think the attack is isolated, saying its not connected to any other sexual assaults in the area, Fouraker reported.
The victim was taken to Woodhull Medical Center. Police have interviewed her to try and get more information about the man responsible.