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Alleged Bowery Subway Station Rapist "Didn't Realize" He Was Raping Woman
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 11, 2012
Modified Feb 11, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 11, 2012
Modified Feb 11, 2012
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The career criminal who was arrested for allegedly raping and beating a woman at the Bowery J train station was drunk, according to his ex-girlfriend, who told the Post, “He wasn’t himself. He didn’t realize what he was doing."
A 36-year-old Asian woman had gotten off a J train around 1 a.m. on Wednesday and was on the escalator when a man threatened her with a "drill bit attached to a wooden handle" and threw her onto the tracks. The suspect dragged her into the tunnel, where he raped and beat her. The victim noticed a light in the tunnel and screamed—it turned out it was a MTA worker, whose presence apparently scared the attacker. Police looked at surveillance footage from cameras for the fleeing suspect.
Michael Torres, 29, was arrested at a Bowery men's shelter. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "That [surveillance image] was taken by detectives to the surrounding area, someone recognized him, and he has a very lengthy record." Torres has at least 27 previous arrests, for assault and drugs.
Torres's ex told the Post, "He blacked out [from alcohol] and when she screamed he realized what he was doing and ran away. He told me over the phone." He was charged with assault, rape, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal sex acts. A man who lives in Torres' building spoke to WPIX 11 that he was "totally astonished, totally shocked ... if it's true they should lock him up and throw away the key."
In the meantime, female subway riders are on edge, "I'm on the subway all the time, it's scary. It's terrible" and "It's scary to know someone here is doing malicious crimes like that."
Tagged
assault
bowery
bowery train station
j train
Lower East Side
michael torres
rape
subway station
subway tracks
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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