Watch Out While in the Dressing Room

Well, this is certainly makes the prospect of trying on clothes worse: A 16-year-old girl was attacked by a naked man in a dressing room at Macy's Herald Square.

Ashley Sims tells the Post that she was trying on a dress for a special occasion in the junior girls' department when Dennis Green, who had been in an adjacent dressing room, "ripped open the door" of her room.

"I had just started changing. I had just put on the dress," Ashley said. "He tried to come in. He hooked his arm around my neck." The terrified teen struggled with the perv and slammed the dressing room door against him to beat him off.

"I was just bashing him. It was just instinct to put the person out," she recalled.

She smashed the door against his arms and legs before she dashed out of the area and notified the dressing-room attendant.

"I was just in shock," Ashley said. "I was shaking. I [told the attendant], 'There's a guy in there.' "

What the hell? The police arrived, only to find Green putting on his clothes in the other dressing room - with cigarette butts and trash on the floor. Ugh - now we know why some dressing rooms stink so much.

Green was charged with burglary and attempted sexual abuse and Macy's says that the company's security acted immediately. But Ashley and her mother Nidza Valentin are skeptical - they believe Green may have entered through an allegedly locked door and are considering legal action. Ashely told the Post, "I've shopped there since I was little. It seems so unsafe. What if that guy was in the little girls' section? He could have raped someone."

At some stores, attendants are generally running between the dressing rooms and the floor to help customers, and given the number of dressing rooms at Macy's, it might be hard for one employee to be stationed there all the time. But still, this is ballsy and you'd hope security cameras would monitor activity outside halls to the dressing rooms.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment, News on May 2, 2007 11:24 AM

Comments [rss]

ZLSONE

I actually know the girl in this incident... I use to go to her high school. She's the very girly girl type so I'm kinda surprised that she fought back so valiantly. She is also very thin, this dude could have really hurt her in a matter of seconds (unless he himself was a weak frail dude which is most likely the case). What bugs me out is that she was with his boyfriend... I could only imagine how much heat he's going to catch from all the guys that know her.

disgusted

I filed a complaint about the surly and absolutely useless sales associates in menswear, and the company couldn't care less. Sent me some generic response that they'll try harder. Yeah right. Why people shop there I do not understand.

Jen Chung

For some reason, the dressing rooms at Bloomingdale's have a sort of mildewy stench...

anonymass

Poor guy's life went totally downhill after leaving the Vikings.

(My last attempt to post before I leave this site forever...)

La Leone

It would be great if my post(s) could go through, please?

ugh

why does anyone even shop there anymore when there are better+cheaper places everywhere else? seriously. i NEVER find anything at macy's. and yeah, the employees are one step below useless.

jay

The employees at Macy"s are the laziest in all of New York, especially on the reggaeton floor.

Pinky

That girl is such a prude. I hate it when they don't put out.

ohplease

Thanks Claire for the astute heads up on Macy's policy. It makes your job that much more secure to tell people why not to shop there.

ABC Girl

OK, I was just at Macy's Herald Sq Juniors section and I tried on many dresses at 2 different dressing rooms on that floor: both had an attendant who ruled with an iron fist ("You can't stand there, that's a fire hazzard!" one shriekd at my mom) and both rooms had looooooong lines that snaked outside the dressing room area. Those lines are always freakin' long and especially at this time of year when prom, graduation, wedding and other special events require dressing up.

So how did this guy get through and NO ONE noticed?

Something doesn't sound right here at all...

janiej

Actually, I'm a white female, and I feel like the salespeople are aggressively anti-white women, that's what I meant by racist. I've had them try to help people in line behind me and I just get the worst attitude from them every time -- I stopped shopping there because of it. I worked retail a long time ago, so I'm a hyper-considerate customer, it's nothing I did, it's just a sucky attitude in that store. And yes, they are always socializing and avoiding customer contact.

ohplease

"At some stores, attendants are generally running between the dressing rooms and the floor to help customers" Yeah well not at Macy's. Those lazy cows are too busy talking about going on a break, or who was at the porty or going to get their hair did. Whoever was on shift at that time should be fired. Straight up.

Kojak

I don't condone what happened, but the Macy's dressing rooms are a great place to pick up chicks.

The man just went a little too far (and too young).

me

"The terrified teen struggled with the perv and slammed the dressing room door against him to beat him off."

silly girl. that's not how you beat him off. you take your hand, wrap it around...

aahh, youth.

janiej

That people that work at that Macy's are so lazy, they couldn't be bothered to stroll past the dressing rooms. Half the time the employees are doing their own personal shopping -- it's nearly impossible to get anyone to help you there. They also seem pretty racist -- it's a really unpleasant experience on the whole.