Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Second Patient Says Mt. Sinai Doctor Sexually Abused Her
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 20, 2016
Modified Jan 20, 2016
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 .
Getty Images
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 20, 2016
Modified Jan 20, 2016
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
The emergency physician who was accused of drugging, molesting and then masturbating on a patient at a Manhattan hospital was also charged in a second incident.
Dr. David Newman
Dr. David Newman turned himself into Special Victims Unit detectives yesterday after a young female patient, 29, said he sexually assaulted her when she went to Mount Sinai Hospital for shoulder pain. She was first given pills and morphine from a nurse, but when Newman checked on her, he allegedly gave her more morphine, even though the patient said she had been given a dose.
According to the Daily News, the patient said that "Newman started fondling her breasts" when examining her right side and then "moved her bed away from the wall and positioned himself with his back toward the patient. The woman heard the sounds of someone masturbating — and then felt semen on her face, she claimed."
During this time, she was in and out of consciousness.
The patient then saved the blanket Newman allegedly used to wipe semen from her face as well as a hospital gown that she used to wipe remaining ejaculate. He is charged with sexual abuse and forcible touching.
After this incident was publicized, a second woman came forward with similar allegations. The NY Times reports, "The woman, 22, had gone to the emergency room with a cold around 6 p.m. on Sept. 21 when, she told investigators, Dr. Newman groped her breasts, according to a criminal complaint. He has been charged with sexual abuse in that episode."
During a court hearing, the Manhattan DA's office "said only nurses are given access to morphine - concluding that Newman must have had his own stash."
Mt. Sinai says that Newman had been suspended from seeing patients since the beginning of the investigation. He is being held on $50,000 bail or $150,000 bond.
The married 45-year-old doctor is an Iraq War veteran and has given Ted Talks and contributed to the NY Times op-ed section. The Times notes that the back cover of his book, Hippocrates’ Shadow: Secrets From the House of Medicine, declares that Newman "sees a lack of candid communication between doctors and patients." The book promises to "show the patterns of secrecy and habit in modern medicine’s carefully protected subculture."
One woman told WCBS 2 that the allegations were "horrifying, especially since I’ve been to Mount Sinai multiple times. I’ve had multiple surgeries here. And so to hear something like that is very scary, ’cause it’s like how many other women has this happened to?"
Tagged
bad doctor
david newman
dr. david newman
mt sinai hospital
sexual abuse
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
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
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 .