Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Woman In Jersey City Home
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A suspect has been arrested in a brutal sexual assault of a woman in her own home in Jersey City last month.
Jesse Girard, 34, was charged with the attack on Monday, Feb. 29 at 3 a.m., according to the Hudson County Prosecutor's office.
Police said the suspect was going to door-to-door on Pavonia Avenue in the Hamilton Park area, touching the handles trying to get in.
When authorities responded, they found the 24-year-old victim screaming for help. They saw she was badly bruised and she told police she was physically and sexually assaulted.
CBS2's Valerie Castro spoke exclusively with the victim's roommate in March.
"She was assaulted really badly and it looked like she was raped," the woman said.
The terrified woman did not want to be identified after her roommate's brutal attack.
The woman said she woke up to the sound of the assault and other neighbors quickly called police.
"I was sleeping and I heard somebody was crying and yelling. I thought somebody was fighting upstairs," she said.
When police arrived the suspect was gone, but the woman was severely injured.
"She had a bruise everywhere on her body: her stomach, her face, her eyes, and she has a huge bump on her forehead," the roommate said.
Investigators said surveillance photos of a person of interested helped police make an arrest.
Girard was arrested on Tuesday, and was charged with aggravated asexual assault, aggravated assault, and burglary, prosecutors said.
He was being held on $500,000 bail Wednesday night.