NYPD: Man allegedly dragged woman to secluded area and tried to rape her on Upper West Side
NEW YORK - Police are searching for a man who allegedly tried to rape a woman after dragging her to a secluded area on the Upper West Side.
The man was on an electric scooter and snuck up behind the woman very early on Wednesday morning, according to police.
The woman, 33, was walking on 69th Street between Columbus and Broadway, which is lined with apartments and a church, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported Thursday.
The NYPD said the man grabbed and dragged her to an area out of view from the street, forcibly touched her, then attempted to rape her.
The department released pictures of the man they're looking for. He's about 20 years old and was wearing a T-shirt with "NY" printed on the front and white sneakers with red trim.
He fled the scene on the scooter, police said.
"I don't love the area anymore. I've been here for a while. It's definitely, since the pandemic, has gone downhill," resident Ashley Fern said. "I don't walk at night up here ever. Like 10 o'clock on, Uber, taxi."
"Feels very surprising to me. I haven't seen, I mean we live in New York City, but the area feels very safe to me," Rabbi Dave Yedid said.
The woman suffered scratches and lacerations.
"It's really shocking and upsetting. Not something I've heard about in this area and just, I really hope that she's OK and hope she's getting the support and the mental and physical support she needs," Daniel Eisenberg said.
Alif Mahmud, a manager at NoiDue Carne, has been in the area for seven years and said he's never heard of an attack like this happening there. The restaurant, he said, is now escorting people to bus at night.
"Now I'm scheduling them early so they at least get to leave at 11 o'clock," Mahmud said.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
