What you should know
- Authorities linked a man wanted for assaulting two women in the Manhattan area to a third sexual assault on Saturday.
- Both attacks occurred before dawn; one was near Central Park West and the other was on Avenue A by East 4th. The NYPD says another May 15 attack on the Manhattan Bridge walkway also followed a similar pattern.
- 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 – New York police have linked a wanted man to a third attack for two sexual assaults in the Manhattan area, which occurred just an hour apart over the weekend.
Police said late Tuesday that they had linked the suspect, who was seen riding an electric bike in the two attacks on Saturday, to an incident on May 15. As in the most recent cases, he was riding a bicycle and it happened in the early hours of the morning.
Police said the May attack occurred on the Manhattan Bridge walkway around 4:30 a.m. The 26-year-old victim was riding his bicycle on the span when the suspect, also on a bicycle, approached him, police say. . He then jumped off her and grabbed her hair from behind her before flashing a knife and throwing her to the ground. He then forced her to perform a criminal sex act.
The narrative was eerily similar to the second of Saturday’s two attacks, which occurred around 5 a.m. near Avenue A and East Fourth Street. The video shows the 28-year-old victim walking on the cross street, the man on the bike 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 he told the woman he had a knife and forced her to perform oral sex. She never showed the gun, they said. She fled the scene on her bicycle. The woman was taken to a hospital for abrasions and a medical evaluation.
An hour earlier, police say the same man attacked a 23-year-old woman around 4 a.m. near Central Park West and West 82nd Street. Once again, he came up behind her and tackled her to the ground, police said. 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 had abrasions on her body and she was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Police released a sketch of the suspect Tuesday night in the hope it will help them track down their attacker.
