QUEENS — The man who dragged a critically injured woman from a car and left her on a sidewalk in Richmond Hill last weekend "was trying to assist her" and is not suspected of any wrongdoing, according to police.
Safiya McLean, 18, who police identified Wednesday, was found incoherent and unresponsive on 131st Street, near Jamaica Avenue, at 12:50 a.m. on April 4, authorities said. Police said she appears to be homeless.
A surveillance video released Tuesday shows a man lugging McLean out of a car, leaving her on the sidewalk and driving away.
McLean's legs and back were covered in bruises and scratches when she was found, officials said. She currently remains in critical but stable condition at Jamaica Hospital, the NYPD said.
McLean was traveling with the man, whose name has not been released, when police said she had a "medical episode." That’s when the man took her out of the vehicle, a police spokeswoman said.
Police sources said that the man contacted McLean's relatives, who called 911.
The man was at the scene when EMS arrived, but he left before police arrived, sources said.
Police later interviewed the man but no charges are being filed at this time, officials said.
It was not immediately clear why McLean remained unidentified till Wednesday.
The investigation is ongoing.