Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Suspect In Brutal Beating Charged With Attempted Murder
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 13, 2010
Modified Mar 13, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 13, 2010
Modified Mar 13, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Police say they have arrested a man they believe viciously attacked a woman in the bathroom of a Midtown bar early Thursday morning. Mbarek Lafrem, 30, of Norwood, Pa. was charged with first- and second-degree assault and attempted rape. UPDATE: Now prosecutors have added a charge of attempted murder, because of the victim's severe injuries.
The Post reports that Lafrem "was described as a construction worker in town on a job and staying at a Best Western near the Eighth Avenue bar where the brutal assault took place." Apparently he made "incriminating" statements; according to the Daily News, "A police source said the man admitted he was drunk, and beat her because he was angry she didn't want to dance with him."
The suspect allegedly followed the victim, a 29-year-old pediatric nurse, into the bathroom at Social, a bar on West 48th Street. She was so badly beaten that she suffered a fractured skull, a broken nose and a broken eye socket, needed 50 stitches, and was left unconscious. A friend found her with her pants pulled down; while a rape kit came back negative, it's believed the suspect tried to rape the victim.
Police released surveillance video—including some taken on an NYPD camera— of the suspect after the attack and were led to Lefrem by a telephone tip. While Lafrem reportedly confessed to the beating, he denied the report. A neighbor in Pennsylvania told the Post, "I won't say I was shocked. I know he liked to drink. He went out a lot and messed around."
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said of the NYPD cameras (600 of them, in Operation Argus), "Locations are chosen based on the latest crime data or on assessments of their sensitivity as terrorist targets. Images recorded through the Argus program have so far proven crucial to solving a number of crimes, including homicides and shootings."
Tagged
assault
attempted rape
bar bathroom
mbarek lafrem
NYPD camera
Social
West 48th Street
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
'You can't even look out the window': Asbestos dust coats Brooklyn NYCHA building walls
Nearly two dozen apartments are affected, with residents offered relocation.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 4:11 p.m. ET
Trash containers take over Brooklyn parking spaces as NYC gets garbage bags off sidewalks
The trash revolution is alive and well in some of Brooklyn's busiest neighborhoods.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Trash containers take over Brooklyn parking spaces as NYC gets garbage bags off sidewalks
The trash revolution is alive and well in some of Brooklyn's busiest neighborhoods.
By
Liam Quigley
Mamdani says he's 'confident' NYC will collect $500 million with pied-à-terre tax
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
David Brand
NYPD won't enforce NYC's bus fare while MTA security force is suspended
By
Clayton Guse
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
15-year-old boy shot and killed Thursday morning in the Bronx, NYPD says
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .