Florida Man Arrested In Connection To Attempted Rape Case
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police arrested a Florida man Saturday night they say is shown on surveillance video grabbing a woman from behind in Queens on Friday.
Christopher Prusa, 34, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., faces attempted rape, unlawful imprisonment, stalking, drug possession and other charges.
Police say Prusa was arrested Saturday at 6:15 p.m. after the surveillance video circulated online and in social media.
The video footage shows the alleged attacker approaching the woman from behind as she tried to get into her apartment building near the corner of 55th Street and Queens Boulevard in Woodside around 4 a.m.
Investigators say the suspect violently grabbed her arms and tried to pull her towards him. The woman was able to break free and run away uninjured.
The victim told CBS2's Clark Fouraker on Saturday she was walking home from her parked car when she first encountered the man near the train station a few blocks from her home. She said he tried to talk to her, but she avoided him.
Shortly afterwards, the man approached her from behind and grabbed her arm. The woman screamed and ran from the scene.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74682). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
