Man Arrested for Allegedly Pretending to Fix Leak, Trying to Rape 83-Year-Old Woman Inside Bronx Apartment: NYPD

Police have arrested a man who allegedly knocked on an apartment door in the Bronx and said he was going to fix a leak, then once inside tried to rape the 83-year-old woman who lives there.

Gary Mallette, 51, of the Bronx, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning. He faces robbery and sexual assault charges, among others. 

Mallette has at least four dozen prior arrests, including felony assault and weapons possession, according to the authorities. 

The victim suffered bruises to her face and lip and was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in stable condition, the NYPD said. 

 The woman answered her door shortly after noon on Saturday at her home in a NYCHA building on Castle Hill Avenue when the attacker said he was going to fix a leak, police said. 

Once inside, he pulled the woman into her bedroom, hit her and tried to pull off her clothes, police said. He tried to sexually assault her, but she resisted. 

Then he stole her cellphone before running out, police said. 

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