Dec. 20, 2021 by Allie Griffin
A 51-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by a man at knifepoint in the elevator of her own building in Forest Hills Friday.
The suspect followed the victim onto an elevator inside an apartment building near 62nd Drive and 108th Street at about 12:10 p.m. He allegedly brandished a knife and demanded the woman hand over her belongings by placing them on the floor of the elevator, police said.
He then searched her body for additional property before allegedly pulling down her pants and sexually assaulting her, according to police.
The victim, however, fought back and was able to push her alleged attacker out of the elevator before he could steal any of her belongings.
The man then quickly fled. He ran down a stairwell and out of the building, police said.
EMS transported the woman to an area hospital for a medical evaluation. She is in stable condition, according to police.
The NYPD described the suspect as a bald, heavy-set man who is approximately 55 to 60 years old. He is about 6 feet tall and has a medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, black sneakers and a multi-colored gaiter.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident 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 CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.