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NYC man caught on camera trying to rape woman on subway platform after pushing her to the ground

A video shows the man forcing himself on top of the woman before those around her rushed in to intervene

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A 25-year-old woman was going about her day when a pervert pushed her to the ground on a subway platform and then attempted to rape her in stark daylight. She was waiting on the platform for the Q train around 11 am on Saturday, August 29 when the man approached her, pushed her to the ground and got on top of her. "The individual then climbed on top of the female and attempted to rape her, but he stopped when a crowd of bystanders formed," New York Police said. 

A video of the repelling act taken by a stranger shows the man forcing himself on top of the woman before those around her rushed in to intervene. "Hey get off her!" one of the bystanders can be heard saying in the video. In a clip released by the NYPD, he can be seen finally getting off her and shrugging as he walks away as if he did nothing wrong, picked up his sunglasses off the ground, and went his way. By the time the police arrived at the crime scene, the assailant had fled. 

According to the police, she suffered minor injuries to her body, but refused medical attention. Police say that the suspect was last seen wearing sunglasses, a black long sleeve shirt, dark cargo pants and brown shoes, and remains at large. Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this individual 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 on Twitter @NYPDTips.

In an official tweet, they sought help. "We're seeking the public's help finding this man, wanted for attempted rape after this brazen and brutal sexual assault yesterday at the 63rd St / Lexington Ave station- Please call @NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS with any information on his identity or if you witnessed this assault."

The news has sparked outrage on social media and people scramble to find the man responsible and are calling for more help. Many others also called out for his arrest. "What sad is people recording and nobody pushing him off of her, that makes me angry," another tweeted.

Some pointed out the other important issues with the incident. "This bothers so much because it happen at 11 am," one noted.

According to a report in DailyMail, New York City has seen an increase in crime since the pandemic. Officials have even linked the rise in crime to the pandemic, a surge in unemployment, civil unrest, and protests. The report notes that from January 1 through August 23, there was a 95 percent increase in the number of shooting victims and 87 percent increase in shootings compared to the same period in 2019. The same report also noted that between January 1 and August 23, the city recorded 280 homicides, which is a 35 percent increase from 208 homicides that were recorded during the same period of 2019.