A German tourist was viciously attacked early on Thursday morning in Harlem, New York. The woman, 31, is believed to be on vacation in New York and may have gotten lost looking for her AirBnB vacation rental. According to police sources, the woman was mugged and brutally beaten and then Sexually Assaulted.
Man attacks, mugs and sexually assaults German tourist in Harlem
As reported by ABC7, police said the German tourist was walking from the train station at around 3 a.m. when a man stopped her, told her he had a gun and started to grope her. The man then snatched her purse and began punching the woman repeatedly, before removing her underwear and her dress and sexually assaulting her.
The entire incident was caught on surveillance cameras nearby.
The woman is currently in hospital and has suffered injuries to her face. She has also lost several teeth in the attack. According to police she is in a serious condition, but is stable. They were unable to speak to the woman at that time, due to the serious nature of her injuries.
No arrests have yet been made
While the surveillance video shows the entire crime, there have been no arrests as yet. Police are looking for an African American man, around 5 feet 8 inches in height and weighing around 175 pounds. He has short, dark hair. On the video he could be seen to be wearing a dark-colored hoodie with gray sweatpants.
Do you know this man? He brutally beat, robbed and sexually assualted a German tourist on W 146th Thursday morning @ABC7NY #harlem pic.twitter.com/dsHMb1flLj
— Candace McCowan (@CandaceMcCowan7) May 5, 2017
As reported by Pix 11, they spoke to a woman who lives in 146th Street.
She reportedly saw the crime scene, close to her apartment, on Thursday morning. The woman said the neighborhood used to be safe but she doesn’t go out at night any more, as there is a lot of criminal activity in the area. She said she is really angry that it happened and is worried the same thing might happen to her.
Similar attack on a woman in Harlem on April 24
Police believe the latest attack on the German tourist may be related to a similar sexual assault that happened nearby on April 24. On that occasion a man mugged a 35-year-old woman, taking her handbag. The suspect then struck the woman several times in her face before pulling down her pants and touching her groin area.
The suspect, who police said appeared to be in his 20s, then fled the scene. The woman was taken to hospital for treatment of her injuries. The man at that crime scene was dressed in a green sweat suit, white sneakers and a black hat.
Police are asking anyone with any information on the suspect to call Crime Stoppers.
