Brutal Christmas Day Attack In Washington Heights Leaves Woman Terrified
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A vicious attack on a woman was caught on camera in Upper Manhattan this past Christmas morning.
And as CBS2's Weijia Jiang reported Tuesday, the woman said no one came to help despite her cries.
Still healing with 14 stitches and two black eyes, Aurelia Rodriguez took CBS2 back to the very spot where she was attacked.
A police surveillance camera showed a man dragging and beating her with a liquor bottle.
"She says it's like she can't forget what happened," said Fernando Mateo of the group Hispanics Across America. "She relives that moment over and over and over again."
The 45-year-old mother of six works seven days a week as a nanny. On Christmas morning around 8 a.m., she was walking along 154th Street in Washington Heights, heading for work, when she said a stranger grabbed her.
Rodriguez took off running to the New York State Corrections facility 10 blocks away.
"She thought that they were going to come to her rescue; they thought that they would save her," Mateo said. "And that's why she ran into this facility."
But Rodriguez said no one helped her. The suspect caught up and brutalized her just steps from the facility's front door.
A guard said little Tuesday night, declining to comment and directing CBS2 to leave.
A representative of the Department of Corrections said an officer leaving work saw the attack and chased a man away. Afterward, the officer helped Rodriguez up and called 911, the department said.
Rodriguez disputes that.
"She kept asking for help and he did absolutely nothing," Mateo said.
Rodriguez is now afraid to walk alone. Her attacker remained on the loose Tuesday night.
Police described the suspect as a 40-year-old Hispanic man, 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing around 220 pounds. He has brown eyes, brown hair and was wearing black boots, a black jacket and black jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
And in addition to a Crime Stoppers reward for information, Hispanics Across America has also offered $2,000 in hopes that someone will come forward.
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