By Jill Colvin and Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Staff
MANHATTAN — A woman was raped and robbed in a terrifying, early morning attack in a Lower East Side park, police and sources said.
The alleged assault unfolded inside Sara D. Roosevelt Park, near Houston and Forsyth streets on June 23 at 2:15 a.m.
Cops said that the suspect, Yeison Riano, 31, of Queens, raped the 41-year-old victim and then snatched her purse.
The victim was treated at Beth Israel Hospital.
Riano was charged with rape and robbery, sources said.
He was released Saturday on $10,000 bail according to Department of Correction records.
"If it wasn't for very observant police officer, who knows if we would have caught this guy," said Geoffrey Croft, of NYC Park Advocates, a non-profit park watchdog group, which sounded the alarm about the attack.
"People should be able to arrive safely from their destinations when using any of our public parks."
The alleged assault is the latest in a string of recent rapes and sexual assaults across the borough, including some in city parks.
Several women have been attacked in recent weeks across the west side of Manhattan, sparking a wave of fear there.
Those suspects have not been caught.
