A New York City man who was caught on camera allegedly attempting to rape a 25-year-old woman on an Upper East Side subway platform has been arrested, authorities said.
Detectives with the 23rd Precinct took Jose Reyes, a Bronx resident, into custody on Sunday at 12:29pm at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and East 105th Street in East Harlem.
He has been charged with attempted rape, assault and harassment.
Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said during a press conference that police used the NYPD's facial recognition program to identify Reyes.
The program matched an image of Reyes' face to a previous mugshot he acquired earlier this year from a criminal mischief arrest.
Harrison also said that three tips reported to the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline helped locate Reyes.
Jose Reyes (pictured) was caught on video pushing a 25-year-old woman to the ground on an Upper East Side subway platform and attempting to rape her in broad daylight in New York City, police say. Suspect pictured above
'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. He got up and left when a group of bystanders gathered and yelled at him to leave the woman alone
The horrific attack took place at the Q train subway station at Lexington Avenue and East 63 Street around 11am on Saturday.
The woman said she was waiting for the train when the man, identified as Reyes, approached her and pushed her to the ground.
'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.
Videos were taken by witnesses and show Reyes on top of the woman on the ground.
The woman was reportedly heard screaming and bystanders yelled and shouted at the suspect to get off of her.
'Hey get off her,' a person yelled at the attacker in video of the incident.
In a clip released by the NYPD, he finally got off her and shrugged as if he'd done nothing wrong, picked up his sunglasses off the ground, and walked away.
Police were called to the scene and the assailant ran away.
The victim suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention.
The suspect pictured on top of the woman on the floor of the train station Saturday
The horrific attack took place at the Q train subway station at Lexington Avenue and East 63 Street around 11am on Saturday
New York City has been reeling from a crime wave this year that has forced the police department to increase weekend patrols citywide.
Officials have linked the rise in crime to the pandemic, a surge in unemployment, civil unrest, and protests.
There was a 162 per cent increase in the number of shooting victims and a 166 per cent increase in the number of shooting incidents during the four-week period that ended on August 23 compared to the same period last year, police data shows.
During the four-week period ending on August 23, the city recorded 48 homicides - a 50 per cent increase from the 32 homicides that were recorded during the same period last year.
Residents of New York City’s Upper West Side are considering suing the city after hordes of homeless people were placed in luxury hotels in the neighborhood due to the coronavirus crisis
A man rests on a park bench on the Upper West Side in the Manhattan borough of New York City on August 10
The city stands by the decision to move homeless New Yorkers to 139 struggling private hotels across the city in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and prevent breakouts at shelters
Between January 1 and August 23, the city recorded 280 homicides - a 35 per cent increase from 208 homicides that were recorded during the same period of 2019.
In July, murders were up 58.8 percent when compared to the same month last year. Shootings were up a staggering 177 per cent.
In Manhattan's Upper West Side residents have complained and threatened to sue the Mayor after homeless people were moved into three luxury hotels in the area to protect them from COVID-19.
Residents of the upscale neighborhood complain that the move-in of the vagrants has brought with it increased crime, random violence, drugs, public urination and open prostitution.
At the moment more than 13,000 homeless people are being housed in 139 hotels across the Big Apple, including three luxury hotels – The Belleclaire, The Lucerne and The Belnord – on the Upper West Side.
The uptick in crime comes as protests have unfolded across the country denouncing police brutality and seeking to defund police departments.
New York City announced it will slash the police budget by $1billion in July. The department budget was almost $6billion for the 2020 fiscal year.
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