What to Know
- Authorities linked a third sex attack to the man wanted in two ambushes of women in Manhattan on Saturday
- Both attacks happened before dawn; one was near Central Park West and the other on Avenue A by East 4th. The NYPD says a May 15, 2022 attack on the Manhattan Bridge walkway also followed a similar pattern
- All three victims were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries and medical evaluations; anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS
The NYPD has linked a man wanted in two ambush Manhattan sex attacks an hour apart over the weekend to a third case in May -- one that has chilling similarities to the two incidents that rattled New Yorkers this past Saturday.
Police said late Tuesday they had connected the suspect, who was seen riding an electric bicycle in both Saturday attacks, to a May 15, 2022 incident. As in the more recent cases, he was riding a bike and it happened in the pre-dawn hours.
Cops said the May attack happened on the Manhattan Bridge walkway around 4:30 a.m. The 26-year-old victim was riding her bike on the span when the suspect, also on a bike, approached her, cops say. He then leapt off and grabbed her hair from behind before he showed a knife and pulled her to the ground. He then forced her to perform a sexual act.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
The suspect then got back on his bike and took off toward Manhattan.
The narrative was disturbingly similar to the second attack of Saturday's two attacks, which happened around 5 a.m. near Avenue A and East Fourth Street. Video shows the 28-year-old victim walking in the cross street, the man on the bike weaving in and around the lines on the pavement around her. He almost appears to bump into her at times, then swerves away.
Local
She crosses the street and the footage cuts to another location. The woman is seen walking underneath a construction façade, along the sidewalk. Suddenly, someone is seen running from behind and tackling her.
Police say he told the woman he had a knife and forced her to perform oral sex. He never showed the weapon, they said. He fled the scene on his bicycle. The woman was taken to a hospital for abrasions and a medical evaluation.
An hour earlier, cops say the same man attacked a 23-year-old woman around 4 a.m. near Central Park West and West 82nd Street. Again, he approached from behind and pulled her to the ground, police said. A struggle ensued. Cops say the suspect held the victim down and sexually assaulted her. He ran off on foot, then was seen a short time later traveling southbound on Central Park West on an electric bicycle. That victim had abrasions to her body and was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
Police released a sketch of the suspect late Tuesday in hopes it will help them track down their attacker.
Anyone with information on the man seen in the surveillance video (above) is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
