GREENWICH VILLAGE — Women in the Village were on high alert Wednesday after a man allegedly sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman in front of her apartment.
Police said the woman was entering her Village apartment around 2 a.m. on Thursday last week when a man grabbed her from behind and physically and sexually assaulted her. The victim was taken to a hospital, where she was treated and released.
Murphy McAnulty, an 18-year-old NYU freshman, said Wednesday afternoon that she was alarmed by the attack.
"I wouldn't think something like that would happen here. It seems like a safe and affluent area," she said.
To stay secure in the neighborhood at night, McAnulty said she walks with friends, always carries her cell phone and keeps an eye out for NYU's on-campus emergency phones.
Her friend Rebecca Belkin, a 19-year-old NYU sophomore, said she feels safe in the Village, but takes precautions if she's out alone.
"Walk with a lot of confidence," she said. "If you look like you don't know what you're doing, you're easier prey."
NYU graduate student Elizabeth Kramer, 24, said she feels safe in the city alone at all times of day.
"It's the city. You just always have to be careful," she said.
Police are hunting a suspect in the attack who is about 35 years old, standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 180 pounds. He was seen on surveillance footage walking away from the scene wearing a dark-colored suit.
Rape is up 57 percent in the 6th Precinct, which covers Greenwich Village and the Meatpacking District, with 11 incidents reported this year versus six last year, according to NYPD statistics.
According to DNAinfo’s Crime & Safety Report, the number of rapes rose from 9 in 2009 to 13 in 2010.
Five instances of forcible sexual assault were reported on NYU's campus in 2009, down from six instances in 2008, according to NYU Department of Public Safety data.
Village resident Marcie Calhoun, 32, said she tries to walk near groups of people if she is out at night alone. But she said the risk of violence won't keep her at home at night.
"You can't stay inside and be scared," she said, "otherwise they're winning."
