Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Pizza Delivery Boy Allegedly Raped Woman While Daughter Slept Next To Her
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 30, 2012
Modified Sep 30, 2012
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 .
via Facebook
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 30, 2012
Modified Sep 30, 2012
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
Yesterday, a 16-year-old Bronx teen was arrested and charged with raping a woman on the Upper West Side early Saturday morning. Police say suspect Cesar Lucas snuck into the 35-year-old victim’s West 61st Street apartment around 12:30 a.m. after delivering a pizza to one of her neighbors. "I want him put away. I want the world to know he raped me while my 7-year-old was asleep next to me," the victim told the Post. "He violated us, it's disgusting —roaming around apartments looking to hurt people while you're working."
Cops say that Lucas, who works for Sal's Pizzeria on 10th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, tried a few doorknobs until he found the victim’s door unlocked. “He covered my mouth and told me to be quiet," she told the Post. "He said ‘sshhh.’ I kicked him and I pushed him. He was a little guy.” Her daughter didn't wake up during the attack, even though she said she screamed. “It took him about 30 seconds," she told the News. "I said, ‘Get off of me,’ and I pushed him. He said, ‘I’m sorry,’ and ran out.”
The suspect took the woman's iPhone and $20 from her daughter's wallet, then fled. “I’m so angry, He just f--ked up everything,” she told the Post. “How dare he come into my room. He was looking around my apartment — how scary.” Cops were able to track Lucas down thanks to the building doorman, who let him inside for the delivery, and the customer, who directed them to the pizza shop. Lucas was arrested while still on duty; he has been charged with rape and burglary.
Lucas has a criminal record: he was arrested in August for breaking into a 39-year-old woman’s W 42nd Street apartment and pilfering her wallet. He was charged with burglary and criminal trespass in that case, but wasn't jailed and was able to keep his job. Paul Aponte, the superintendent at his Bronx apartment building, said, “He looks like he’s afraid of his own shadow. That’s why this is shocking to say the least. He’s not one of these guys who’s out here all loud.” He told the Post, “He’s a very good kid to me. I never see him hanging out with the usual riffraff on the block. He always says hello and shakes my hand.” But he also added, “I’m shocked, but in this life anything is possible. It can be like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
A manager at Sal's told DNAInfo that Lucas was "a good worker," and another co-worker told the Post, "He’s a good kid.” The victim was upset about that: “These a--holes are going to say he’s a good kid? I want that pizzeria to pay.” She added that she was embarrassed about the incident: “I’m scared. I want to sleep with a chain on and I’m going to keep the door locked. I’m embarrassed. I don’t want to go downstairs. I don’t want to leave the apartment. Everyone is talking.”
Tagged
cesar lucas
nypd
pizza delivery boy
police
rape
sexual assault
teen
Upper West Side
uws
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
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 .