Police: Arrest Made After Woman Throws Coffee In Face Of Would-Be Rapist In Manhattan
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A man was arrested Friday after he allegedly followed a 51-year-old woman home and then tried to sexually assault her in Manhattan.
It happened in broad daylight around 9:50 a.m. Thursday near Seaman Avenue and Academy Street in the Inwood neighborhood.
Police are searching for this man, after they say he attempted to rape a 51-yr-old woman inside the entrance to her Inwood apartment building. They say she threw a cup of coffee in his face and got away @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/LVS3FhYBq5
— Natalie Duddridge (@NatDuddridgeTV) February 22, 2019
Police said 38-year-old Victor Cueto followed the victim into her building and then tried to pull her pants down. The woman fought back, throwing her coffee in his face and screaming for help.
Cueto was charged with attempted rape, sexual abuse and burglary.
CBS2's Natalie Duddridge spoke with residents in the area Friday.
"I just saw police activity and detectives and I knew something major happened," Susan Perez said.
"It scares me because I go in and out of the building all day to run errands," another woman added. "I always look behind me before I enter the building, always. And if I don't know who it is, I just won't enter the building."
Giadia Geraci said her building shared the surveillance video on a community Facebook page. She praised the victim's quick-thinking.
"You've got to use everything you have. It's great that she didn't freeze," she said.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by Tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.