NEW YORK (AP) - A 31-year-old man was charged Sunday with attempted rape in an attack on a Manhattan subway platform that was recorded by a bystander as a crowd intervened.
The man, Jose Reyes, has a prior arrest history, including incidents in the transit system, police said. He was identified from a prior mug shot through facial recognition software, Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
The attack happened around 11 a.m. Saturday on the Upper East Side. Harrison said the victim told officers her attacker had been on the subway train smoking a hookah, making strange noises and laughing to himself. He followed her when she got off, knocked her down and climbed on her.
“This heinous and horrendous act was interrupted by a good Samaritan” who took video while he and other commuters yelled at the attacker to stop, Harrison said. After police circulated the video through the media, tips from the public led to Reyes arrest, he said.
The woman suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention, police said.
It was unclear whether Reyes had a lawyer Sunday.
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