GREENWICH VILLAGE — A 20-year-old New York University student fought off a man who tried to rape her a block from Washington Square Park over the weekend, police said.
The student was walking on Fifth Avenue near Eighth Street around 4 a.m. on July 30 when the suspect approached her and started a conversation, the NYPD said.
The man then grabbed the woman from behind and groped her in an apparent rape attempt, but she was able to fight the attacker off before he fled the scene, police said.
The suspect was described as standing 5-foot-6 with a medium build, wearing a dark-colored baseball cap and a backpack.
NYU administrators said the woman reported the assault to NYU Public Safety officers when she got back to her dorm, "who in turn immediately contacted the NYPD."
"We are deeply concerned about the well-being of the student, and have offered medical and mental health support services," said NYU spokesman John Beckman. "We are shocked by such an assault on one of our students in a neighborhood widely regarded as one of New York's safest. The NYPD is investigating the crime, and we hope they catch the assailant and bring him to justice quickly."
Police are looking for any information about the incident, and ask the public to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. All calls are confidential.
