MIDTOWN — A man who forcibly kissed and groped a woman inside a Midtown hotel last week told the victim, "What happens in New York stays in New York," according to police.
The suspect started talking to the 20-year-old woman from San Jose, California as she was riding an elevator inside the Courtyard Marriott at 1717 Broadway near 54th Street on Friday around 3:30 p.m., police said.
She then left the elevator and went into another to get ice on the hotel’s 35th floor, according to the NYPD.
The man followed her into the second elevator, where he told the woman, "I've always wanted to kiss a girl in the elevator," and kissed her on the mouth, according to police.
The victim pushed the man away and left the elevator, but the suspect followed her down a hallway, where he forcibly touched her chest and upper body over her clothes, she told police.
The woman told the man to stop and started walking away, but he kept following her and tried to block her by standing in front of her, the NYPD said. The woman managed to get past the suspect and run to the stairwell back to her room, police said.
At some point during the incident, the man told the woman, "What happens in New York stays in New York," according to police.
The victim refused medical attention, police said. They're still looking for the suspect.
A manager at the Courtyard Mariott did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
