West Village Gym Ignored Rape Attempt Report: Suit

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A former member of a West Village Equinox claims he was nearly raped by another gym goer, but administrators with the luxury fitness center refused to report the attack, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit reviewed by the New York Post.

The victim, Shane Crandall, says he was in a steam room at the 97 Greenwich Avenue gym on Aug. 9, 2017, when a man began masturbating in front of him. When Crandall went to exit the room the man tried to block him from leaving, he told the newspaper.

“As soon as I stood up, he wrapped his legs around mine,” he told the Post. “As that happened, I pulled back and I lost my towel. He took his hand and grabbed my arm. He was trying to press his body against mine. I was screaming. I had to do everything I could to get out of the situation.”

The Manhattan salesman managed to break free of his attacker and immediately told an employee who contacted the gym's regional manager, but the club allegedly refused to act based solely on Crandall's accusation. Administrators stalled on releasing the member's name who allegedly assaulted Crandall, claiming they needed permission from the legal department, documents reviewed by the Post claim.

In the suit, Crandall blames the luxury gym for the attack, claiming for years employees have known that their “members were engaging in orgies, indecent exposure, masturbation, sexual assault, sexual harassment and lewd behavior in the men’s steam rooms” but ignored it all, the newspaper reported.

Crandall was never given the name of the man, but was told he was allowed to keep his membership. Crandall did not file a police report at the time because he didn't realize he could report the incident without the man's name, he told the Post.

The gym claims it takes sexual assault very serious, a spokeswoman for Equinox said in a statement.

“Equinox takes claims of this nature very seriously and maintains a zero-tolerance policy for any inappropriate behavior in our clubs," the spokeswoman said. "In the event that indecent activity is brought to our attention, we take action immediately to identify involved individuals and revoke their memberships.”

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