Suspect Charged with Rape of Jogger: NYPD

A 28-year-old was charged Saturday with raping a woman who said she was attacked while jogging in a park on Manhattan's Lower East Side, police said.

Paul Niles, who was identified after investigators released a surveillance photo of the rape suspect and received numerous tips, faces charges of first-degree rape, second-degree robbery and third-degree identity theft.

The woman told police she was jogging in East River Park at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when a man with dreadlocks approached her on a bicycle and grabbed her by the hair when she tried to run. The man dragged her into an amphitheater off the waterfront path.

She said the man then raped her and took her cellphone and credit cards, according to police. He rode off on the bike after the assault.

The woman was taken to Beth Israel Hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Niles was also charged with forcibly grabbing a 56-year-old woman three days earlier in the vicinity of FDR Drive and Grand Street. He fled on his bike after grabbing at her, police said.

There was no indication late Saturday night that Niles had a lawyer who could comment on the charges.

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