Police are searching for a man they say ambushed and raped a woman inside the bathroom of a sports bar in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighborhood over the weekend.
Police said the suspect was hiding in one of the stalls inside a women's restroom at the Turnmill Bar on East 27th Street Saturday evening. When a 23-year-old woman emerged from one of the other stalls, he pushed her back in, grabbed her by the throat and raped her, according to police.
He then fled the bar.
The victim was taken to Lenox Hill Healthplex Hospital to be treated and evaluated, police said.
The victim did not know the suspect, police said.
A manager of the bar, who asked not to be identified, said the suspect was not a patron of the bar either; he didn't sit down and order anything, the man said. The manager said the pub is considering adding more security cameras after the rape, which he called, "horrifyingly frightening."
One patron at the bar Monday night told NBC 4 New York she was a frequent visitor and felt "very safe" at the business and in the neighborhood.
Local
Authorities released surveillance video of the suspect walking down the street; police said the woman seen walking in the surveillance video is not tied to the rape case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
-- Checkey Beckford and Katherine Creag contributed to this report
