Woman Fights Off Rapist In Harlem, Police Say

HARLEM, NY — The NYPD is trying to identify a man who attempted to rape a woman in a Harlem apartment building, police said.

The unknown man followed a 22-year-old woman inside a building entrance on East 128 Street and Fifth Avenue around 5 a.m. on Saturday and grabbed her from behind, police said. The man then grabbed the woman's throat and pushed her against a wall, police said.

The woman fought back and eventually chased the man from the building, police said. The man fled the scene heading east on 128th Street toward Madison Avenue, police said. The woman suffered a cut to the chest, but refused medical attention, police said.

The suspect is described as a bald man in his 30s standing 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-2 and weighing between 190 and 210 pounds, police said. He was last seen wearing dark gray sweat suit, gray and black sneakers and a blue and gray shirt, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Photo by NYPD