A man attempted to rape an 18-year-old girl aboard a subway train traveling from Harlem to the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York police said.
The victim was saved thanks to the intervention of another passenger, authorities said. It all began when the suspect followed the young woman onto the Downtown Line 2 train at the 125th Street station shortly before 10 pm on Sunday, January 1. The man then exposed himself and tried to undress the victim, pulling down her pants as the train approached 72nd Street on the Upper West Side, police said.
At that point, a Good Samaritan intervened and helped the woman flee safely to another carriage. According to NYPD, the suspect remained on the train and got off at the 42nd Street station, where he fled in an unknown direction. The victim went to the hospital for treatment and evaluation, he said. Pix11.
The NYPD released a video and photo of the suspect last night, asking for the public’s help in locating him. He was last seen wearing dark clothing and red sneakers and carrying a McDonald’s bag and drink.
Anyone with information should call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and in Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Also through crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by text to 274637 (CRIMES), followed by TIP577. All communications are strictly confidential.
In 2022 serious crimes, including homicides, rapes and robberies, increased 40% on the Subway compared to the previous year, according to the latest statistics from the New York police.
Mayor Eric Adams announced multiple times that he would double the number of NYPD officers in the subway system in a beefed-up security plan to deal with violence. But so far crime has continued to rise.