Police Looking For Man Accused Of Trying To Rape 24-Year-Old Woman In Lower East Side Apartment
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- Police are searching for a suspect in an attempted rape on the lower east side and have released surveillance video to aid the search.
It was the middle of the afternoon on Saturday at 90 Pitt Street when a 24-year-old woman got into her apartment elevator and was followed by a young man. Police said the suspect groped and fondled the woman before she was able to escape.
"As she exits the elevator, he takes her by the back of the neck and grabs her by the behind and pushes her to the side," neighbor Julian Errico, who was shown additional surveillance video, told CBS2's Steve Langford.
The suspect followed the young woman to an apartment, but fled, according to police, when a man from inside this apartment ran to the door to see what was going on. The man said the woman is doing "fine."
Family members were comforted both by the fact that their loved one was not seriously injured, and by the outpouring of concern among neighbors.
"You know any woman would be upset if a man groped them or did anything inappropriate to them," neighbor Shamieka Pedraza said.
"You know we all have kids out here. This is a nice neighborhood and we're just hoping that they catch the attacker," another resident said.
Being attacked in an elevator does not mean you have to be a victim, experts said.
"You want to focus on striking to soft spots in the body, the eyes, the nose the jaw, the throat, the groin," Matan Gavish, of Krav Maga Academy, said.
Police said the suspect is Hispanic, about 16 to 20 years old, light skinned, about 5 foot 2 inches to 5 foot 4 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds.