Police say it happened Friday morning on a stairwell inside an apartment building near Fox Street and Saint John Ave.
Officers say the man exposed himself, placed the 45-year-old woman in a headlock and tried to rape her.
Police say the woman screamed, which scared the suspect and sent him running.
She was not injured.
Police describe the suspect as male, black or Hispanic, dark complexion, approximately 35-years-old, 5'10" tall, weighing 200 Lbs., with a heavy build, brown eyes and a beard. He last seen wearing a blue baseball cap, black sneakers, a hooded sweatshirt, a blue jacket and blue jeans.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.