Woman 'petrified' after being attacked by tenant inside Long Island City apartment building
LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens (WABC) -- A woman says she's living in fear in her own home after being attacked by a fellow tenant inside her apartment building in Queens, and it's possible that she may not be his only victim.
Maria G is still reeling from what happened to her two Fridays ago in the lobby of her Long Island City rental.
"He hit the sliding door when he came in, and the next moment I was hit in the face and knocked down," she said.
The whole encounter was caught on video.
Now Maria is living in fear because that man lives in her building, called Hunters Landing.
"I'm petrified, and I have two children," she said. "I am not safe in my own home."
This wasn't his first assault. In October, right around the corner, Antoine LeCompte was punched minutes after dropping his child at day care.
"I'm 6'2''. Yeah, he was he was a big guy, to be honest with you," LeCompte said. "He's a big guy as well. So, it was not like a light punch. But thank God I took it right on the forehead.
That incident led to an arrest and assault charges.
As Maria waits for her criminal case to proceed, she's asked management to notify residents and evict the tenant. She's hired a lawyer.
"I understand it's a long process to have a tenant evicted, and we hope that that does occur, but we understand there's going to be some time before that does occur, have security downstairs, notify the tenants immediately," attorney Eric Malinowski said.
He is looking into the possibility that two other tenants were also assaulted by the same man.
On Thursday, management issued a statement saying it "shares the frustrations" of tenants. It attributes some of the issues to a "subsidized housing program initiated during the pandemic" and a lack of mental health and supportive services.
Tenants and neighbors now feel like they have little recourse.
"It's very dangerous for the neighbors, for the mothers out there as well. So, it's very concerning," LeCompte said.
Now Maria is afraid to ride the elevator, to come and go.
"I'm devastated. I feel hopeless. And not safe," she said.
She said she feels like a prisoner in the home she once loved.
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