STATEN ISLAND — Within the span of an hour Tuesday morning, a man driving around in a black SUV tried to rape at least four random female victims ranging in age from 14 to 64 years old, according to police.
The suspect attacked the women in Tompkinsville, Randall Manor and West Brighton from about 5:46 to 6:45 a.m., a spokesman for the NYPD said.
In one incident, he jumped out of his car and told one victim "I'm going to rape you" before she fought him off and he fled, ABC 7 reported. All the women were able to fight him off.
The spree started at 5:46 a.m. when the suspect grabbed a 50-year-old woman around her neck, dragged her to the ground and attempted to rape near the intersection of St. Paul's Avenue and Swan Street in Tompkinsville, police said.
He then slapped a 64-year-old woman in the face as she stepped off an MTA bus at 6:20 a.m. at Henderson and Westbury avenues.
He approached a 42-year-old woman at another bus stop at Hunter Place and Castleton Avenue eight minutes later, approached her from behind and wrestled her to the ground, the NYPD said. A passerby yelled at the man and he then punched the woman in the face before running off.
The last reported incident was at 6:45 a.m. when he approached a 14-year-old girl at a bus stop at the intersection of Castleton and Havenwood avenues and sexually assaulted her, police said. The girl managed the fight him off and the suspect fled in a black SUV.
The victims did not know the man before the attacks, the NYPD said.
All four victims were taken to Richmond University Medical Center in stable condition, police said.
Police described the suspect as about 5-foot-8 with short dreadlocks and wearing a black tracksuit with white stripes on the pants.
