Exclusive: Woman recounts being randomly attacked while walking down the street on Upper West Side
NEW YORK -- A random assault on the Upper West Side just before midnight on Saturday left one woman bruised and shaken.
Police say it happened on West 69th Street and Broadway, and it was a group of good Samaritans who saw something and did something, catching the suspect moments after the attack.
It's what New Yorkers do on a hot weekend -- go to the movies on the Upper West Side. But on Saturday night, a relaxing evening turned terrifying for one woman.
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It was a very warm night as a couple making their way home after a night at the movies got to West 69th and Broadway.
"We're at the corner of 69th Street and we were chatting, and then a man came up and punched me suddenly on my right cheek," the 56-year-old victim told CBS New York exclusively.
She didn't want to show her face on camera, but said the attack was completely random.
"It was like a sudden impact of something hard against my face," she said. "I was definitely in shock. I was trembling."
She says as she fell to the ground, two good Samaritans came to help as her husband went after her attacker.
"He kept walking and I was following him and all of sudden a swarm of guys, like five or six guys, started chasing after him. He started running back up Broadway on the street," the victim's husband said.
Thanks to that group of guys, police say the 20-year-old suspect was caught. His crime, however, left the woman injured.
"I have like the marks of this guy's knuckle on my cheek and my cheek is swollen and I can't really open my mouth fully," the victim said.
The victim and her husband have lived in the city for over 30 years.
"I've never been a victim of any violence at all until last night," she said.
They said it was a reality check for them, as danger isn't always so obvious and could be lurking anywhere and at any time.
"He was calm. There was nothing erratic in his behavior," the victim said. "He was just walking casually. There was no red flag."
Police have identified the suspect as Simon Jeter. He's now facing a charge of assault in the third degree.
