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3 Sexual Assaults In 3 Days Have Washington Heights, Inwood On Edge
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 13, 2011
Modified Jun 13, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 13, 2011
Modified Jun 13, 2011
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Three sexual assaults in as many days in northern Manhattan—one a block from the 34th Precinct station house—have residents of Washington Heights and Inwood alarmed. Investigators don't believe the three attacks were connected, and have released a police sketch and surveillance photos in the hunt for perpetrators in the first two incidents. The first took place in Inwood Hill Park around 10:40 p.m. Friday, when a shirtless Hispanic man in khaki shorts and a blue medallion around his neck struck up a brief conversation with his 28-year-old Hispanic victim.
Police say the suspect, described as being 30 to 35 years-old and about 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9 and 175 lbs, forced the woman into a secluded area of the park and sexually assaulted her, then fled on a red mountain bike. The second assault in the area occurred hours later, around 2:15 a.m., when a Hispanic man, seen in the surveillance photo here, confronted a woman on the fifth floor of an undisclosed Washington Heights apartment building, then sexually assaulted her at knife-point on the eighth floor. The suspect wore a black T-shirt and black sweatpants, is between 20 to 25 years-old and stands about 5-foot-3 to 5-foot-5. Both victims were treated at area hospitals and released, the Daily News reports.
The third assault happened this morning on 184th Street and Bennett Avenue, a block from the 34th Precinct station house, when a man tried to tear off a woman's clothes in the middle of the street. Police tell NY1 he fled to the nearby A subway line. The perpetrator is described as a 20- to 25-five year-old Hispanic male.
In the wake of the assaults, concerned volunteers have passed out over 1,000 fliers warning residents to be on the lookout for the suspects. City Council Member Robert Jackson and other other community leaders are asking the NYPD to make permanent the 20 officers temporarily deployed to the precinct. “The recent string of sexual assaults against women has shaken our community to the core and reminded us that we can’t let up in our fight against crime, particularly when it comes to protecting women and families,” said State Senator Adriano Espaillat told the Manhattan Times. And at a press conference, community leader Maria Luna called on residents to not let fear keep them out of the parks, because there's safety in numbers.
Tagged
inwood
manhattan
rape
sexual assault
Washington Heights
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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