An 18-year-old high school student was arrested at his Manhattan public school campus Monday afternoon after he allegedly raped another student on a staircase inside the building earlier that day, police say.
Cops say the 16-year-old victim was attacked on stairs between the third and fourth floors of Washington Irvington Campus just after 8:15 a.m.
The 16-year-old victim reported the attack, and she was taken to a local hospital, police said. The suspect, who is from Brooklyn, was arrested around 12:30 p.m.
The suspect and the victim knew each other, police say.
The formerly named Washington Irving High School now houses the Gramercy Arts High School, the High School for Language and Diplomacy, the International High School at Union Square and other educational facilities. It wasn't immediately clear which schools the two students attended.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education described the case as a "troubling incident" and said officials were working closely with the NYPD on the investigation.
"We are treating this with the utmost seriousness and are providing the campus with additional guidance and safety supports," spokesperson Miranda Barbot said.
Parent Gladys Johnson says the alleged assault is troubling.
"That's a very scary thing because I have two kids who go to the school," said Johnson. "I do know I have seen condoms on the floor, and I know something is going on in there."
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Student Sami Muhadiat believes there should be more security in the stairs.
"They don't have any cameras in the stairs. That's why the students smoke weed in the stairs," he said.
The NYPD says the number of rapes in city schools has tripled and the number of sex offenses has doubled this school year over the same period last year.
