Police say a suspect sought in two sexual assaults is connected to three other recent attacks in New York City, all of which occurred in the last five weeks.
The man, who can be seen wearing a Yankees baseball cap in surveillance video, attacked five women since Dec. 9 as they entered their Manhattan apartment buildings, according to police.
Three women were attacked in the East Village. The other assaults were in buildings in upper Manhattan and on the Lower East Side.
In the most recent attack, police say a 31-year-old female victim was opening the door to her apartment building at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday when the suspect approached her from behind and grabbed her waist, police say. He pulled the victim’s pants down and fled after she yelled, police say.
The man is suspected of attacks on four other women between 19 and 25 years old. In one case, the suspect sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman in the stairwell of her East Village apartment building. She had minor injuries and was taken to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center for treatment.
In another attack, the suspect sneaked up behind a woman and grabbed her mouth, then started groping her back and buttocks before running off. In each case, he followed the woman into her apartment building before abusing her; one of the attacks happened in an elevator.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
