EAST VILLAGE — A local man was arrested for nearly killing a woman while brutally raping her in broad daylight on East Eighth Street Saturday morning, police said.
Neal Essex, 51, of East Sixth Street, was arrested and charged with rape after allegedly forcing himself on the victim outside 303 East Eighth St. about 8:20 a.m. Saturday, according to the criminal complaint.
He allegedly threw the woman to the ground and began punching her in the face outside that address, between Avenues B and C, court documents said. The complaint claimed that Essex then removed the woman’s pants and raped her while choking her so viciously that she lost consciousness.
A police officer found the alleged attacker hovering over the woman with his genitals exposed as she lay on the ground with her pants off, the complaint added.
No other information was available regarding the victim. She was treated at Bellevue Hospital, according to The Local East Village, which first reported the incident.
Essex was being held on bail and is scheduled to next appear in court on Thursday, Sept. 22.
