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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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Woman Allegedly Raped by Pizza Delivery Boy Files Lawsuit

By Aidan Gardiner | October 19, 2012 8:44am

UPPER WEST SIDE — The 35-year-old woman allegedly raped by a pizza delivery boy in her Upper West Side apartment last month has filed a lawsuit — claiming several parties associated with her West 61st Street building and the pizzeria that employed the teen were partly responsible for the attack.

The suit, filed Thursday, names her apartment building’s management, its co-op board, the doorman working the night of the alleged rape, and the suspect's employer, Sal’s Pizzeria, in the lawsuit.

The teenager, Cesar Lucas, had delivered a pizza just after after midnight on Sept. 29 to another tenant in the Alfred Condominium, located at 161 West 61st St., when he started trying to open other apartment doors, according to court documents. He entered the victim’s apartment, which was unlocked, and raped her while her 7-year-old daughter slept beside her, authorities said.

Lucas told his victim, “I’m sorry,” and fled with her iPhone, the woman reportedly said. He told authorities after the attack that he entered his victim’s apartment because he was “feeling horny,” according to the criminal complaint against him.

The suit filed by the victim alleges that the management of her apartment building, including its condo board, Halstead Management Company, and the doorman, Luis Rodriguez, did not properly secure or supervise the premises.

Lucas’ employer, Sal’s Pizzeria, located on 10th Ave. near West 49th St., didn’t adequately vet the teenager when he was hired and failed to supervise its employees, the suit charges.

“You think that the people running the building and the people working in the building are looking out for your well being and are taking the security of the building seriously,” the woman told the Daily News. “To say that I was let down is a massive understatement."

Lucas was arrested a month before the attack for entering another woman’s apartment after delivering a pizza to her and stealing her wallet, the New York Post reported.

He now faces charges of rape, burglary, sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child. He is scheduled to appear in New York Supreme Court on Oct. 30.