Police: Homeless man sexually assaults woman in Union Square Park restroom

UNION SQUARE (WABC) -- An investigation is underway after police say a homeless man sexually assaulted a woman in a restroom in Union Square Park.

Investigators say the assault happened just after 1 p.m. Sunday at the bathroom on East 17th Street, when a homeless man groped a 63-year-old woman. Police say she told investigators that the man demanded she perform a sex act on him, and that there was a struggle before he ran away.

A man who did not want to be identified said he was nearby when police arrived.

"I just showed up when the officer had went in there, and the door was open, and he was talked to a lady. I think she was freaking out. I think she had just got done crying," he said.

Investigators tell Eyewitness News that the woman also bit her attacker in the hand before he ran away.

Police say the man they are looking for is a black man in his 30s with a lengthy beard. They say he was wearing an army green jacket.