Accused Elevator-Knife-Attacker Indicted On Sex Abuse Charge: DA

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — A man accused of attacking two women in Forest Hills elevators was indicted on sexual abuse charges by a grand jury, prosecutors announced Friday.

Ralph Toro, 62, was indicted on attempted robbery, sexual abuse, weapons, and menacing charges on Thursday, one month after he was charged, the Queens District Attorney's Office announced.

Video surveillance shows Toro trapping a 51-year-old woman in an apartment elevator, pulling out a knife, and demanding money on Dec. 17, according to the DA.

The woman emptied her purse onto the floor to show she had no cash and Toro— still holding the knife — sexually assaulted her, the DA said.

District Attorney Melinda Katz called the attacks "terrifying."

Just an hour earlier, Toro had tried a similar heist in another building, prosecutors said.

Toro had whipped out a knife and demanded cash from a 28-year-old woman in the elevator of a Forest Hills apartment building, prosecutors said.

He then tried to reach into the woman's jacket pockets but she shoved him away and he ran from the building, the Queens DA said.

Police used surveillance footage from the second attack to track down Toro to a nearby shelter, prosecutors said.

Toro is expected to return to court on March 3, records show. If convicted, Toro faces up to 16 years-to-life in prison, according to the DA.

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