What to Know
- A 26-year-old woman was robbed and sexually assaulted by a man with a screwdriver in her Inwood apartment
- Police said the woman arrived home to find the attacker inside her apartment
- No one has been taken into custody
A woman who was videochatting with her husband in her Manhattan apartment was robbed and sexually assaulted Sunday night by a stranger with a screwdriver, police said.
The attacker got into the woman's apartment near 213th Street and Broadway in Inwood at about 9:30 p.m., while she was videochatting with her husband, according to police sources. He may have used a fire escape to break in, and he may live in the neighborhood, law enforcement sources said.
The woman heard a sound in another room, and walked out and came face to face with the intruder, sources said.
Police said the attacker was armed with a screwdriver and that he threatened the woman and then forced her to perform a sexual act on him before stealing her phone, laptop, cash and other belongings. He may have fled out the front door, sources said.
The woman was talking with investigators from the Special Victim’s Unit on Monday morning. She said that she and her attacker did not know each other. A police car was stationed outside of her home before dawn.
No arrests have been made in the case, but authorities were questioning a person of interest in the case on Monday afternoon.
The building's superintendent, Porfilio Hidalgo, said he was reminding residents to lock up windows at the building.
"Make sure all the windows and doors are safe," he said. "Anything we can do to help them."
