Police are searching for a man suspected of raping a 79-year-old woman with Alzheimer's in her Bronx apartment building around 2 a.m. on Monday morning. Police say the man, described as in his early 20s and about 5'7", followed the victim into her building on Benson Street in Westchester Square, and ambushed her as she got into the elevator.
The victim called the police from the super's apartment after the suspect fled, and she is currently in stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center. Neighbors say the assault is tragic, but many add that the neighborhood is not safe. One resident told NY1, "I always watch my back. We live in New York. Now I have to be extra careful because I have my daughter and son and I have to protect myself as well as my children." Another woman who has lived in then neighborhood for 47 years told the Daily News she has been wanting to move.
The suspect, believed to be Hispanic, was caught on a surveillance tape and allegedly seen by a witness. Police say he was wearing a black t-shirt with the numbers "00" printed on the back.
