Suspect linked to multiple jogging trail attacks on women in Upper Manhattan
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- A suspect wanted for sexually assaulting and robbing a woman in an Upper Manhattan park is being linked to two other crimes.
The victims are all women.
Surveillance video shows the suspect riding off on a moped after the most recent attack, which happened Saturday.
He's seen wearing a black hoodie and fleeing southbound on Riverside Drive.
The attack happened in Fort Tyron Park. The attacker punched the victim, dragged her behind a tree and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint.
Police now believe the same suspect groped two other women earlier this month, one in Fort Washington Park, the other near West 163rd Street and the Henry Hudson Parkway.
The attacks happened along a popular running and biking path.
What is surprising to area residents is that they all happened during the day.
"I was just pretty surprised it happened in broad daylight," one woman told Eyewitness News. "Things like that don't normally happen. There's people biking here all the time... running trails. I'm here just casually walking."
"You usually think, 'It's pretty well populated, it seems pretty safe,'" said another. "So it's pretty surprising."
Joggers say they are now more aware of their surroundings and have advice for others doing activities around the parks.
"Try to be in groups or just come in a block where there's people and not be so self-sufficient that you think nothing is going to happen," said one. "It can always happen, at anytime and anywhere."
Police are seeking more information on this suspect, because cameras are limited in the areas where the attacks happened.
If you have any details about the attacks or the suspect seen in the surveillance video attacker, you are urged to contact police.
Call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit tips by visiting the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by messaging on Twitter @NYPDTips.
ALSO READ | '2 Milligrams: Fatal Dose': The crisis of fentanyl, America's hidden killer
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
