What you should know
- Authorities are searching for a man who ambushed two women in separate sexual assaults in Manhattan within an hour of each other over the weekend.
- Both attacks occurred before dawn; one was near Central Park West and the other was on Avenue A by East 4th.
- The two victims were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries and medical evaluations; Anyone with information about the suspect can call 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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NEW YORK – Authorities are searching for a man who ambushed two women in separate sexual assaults in Manhattan within an hour of each other over the weekend.
A woman was ambushed by a sexual predator on an electric bike who followed her in Manhattan, then got off the bike and gave chase, knocking her to the curb, police say. And she is looking for the same person in connection with a sexual assault near Central Park on the Upper West Side an hour earlier.
New York police released footage of the second attack, which occurred around 5 a.m. Saturday near Avenue A and East Fourth Street. It shows the 28-year-old victim walking on the cross street, while the alleged predator on a bicycle is seen weaving in and around the lines in the pavement around him. He almost seems to bump into her at times, then swerves away from her.
He crosses the street and the recording cuts to another place. The woman is seen walking under a building facade, along the sidewalk. Suddenly, someone is seen running up behind her and knocking her down.
Police say the suspect threatened the woman by telling her he had a knife and forced her to perform oral sex. She never showed the gun and then fled the scene on her bike. The woman was taken to a hospital for abrasions and a medical evaluation, according to authorities.
The previous attack involving the same suspect occurred around 4 a.m. near Central Park West and West 82nd Street, the NYPD said. In that case, a 23-year-old woman was walking when a man came up behind her and tackled her to the ground, similar to how the Avenue A attack appeared to occur, according to surveillance footage.
A fight ensued. Police say the suspect restrained the victim and sexually assaulted her. He ran off on foot, then was seen a short time later traveling south on Central Park West on an electric bike. That victim also had abrasions on her body and she was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Anyone with information on the suspect can call 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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