The Bobster
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Two NYU students groped within 10 minutes as citywide rapes surge 10 percent
Two NYU students were groped within 10 minutes of each other while walking through Washington Square Park this week.
nypost.com
Two NYU students groped within 10 minutes as citywide rapes surge 10 percent
By
Dean Balsamini
September 17, 2022 10:32am
Updated
Two NYU students were groped within 10 minutes of each other while walking through Washington Square Park this week, the school’s security team reported in a campus safety alert.
In the first incident, a twisted assailant grabbed the butt of a student at around 8:30 p.m. Monday. The second student was grabbed on the thigh, the school said.
The creep pulled down one of the victim’s shorts as she ran away, said NYPD officials who confirmed the Monday night incidents in the neighborhood’s 6th Precinct.
One of the victims said the unprovoked attacker looked to be homeless.
The disturbing incidents come amid a 25% spike in the number of rapes reported in the precinct this year as compared to the same time last year — 10 from 8 — and a 10% climb in rapes across the city — 1,151, up from 1,042 — NYPD data shows as of Sept. 11.
Of the 1,151 rapes, 629 (55%) involved “acquaintances;” 455 (39%) were of a “domestic” nature, and 67 (6%) were committed by a “stranger,” the NYPD said.
“There is zero fear of the criminal justice system — specifically in Manhattan in DA Alvin Bragg’s world,” said former NYPD Sgt. Joseph Giacalone, now a professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College.
“Washington Square Park has pretty much fallen into decay with all kinds of people taking refuge inside of the park: criminals, drug addicts, you name it. Shootings and murders are down, but everything else is off the charts,” he said.
NYU said it’s been flagging unsafe conditions to cops for months.
“We, along with other park neighbors and other NYC universities, have been sharing our concerns with city authorities for some months now,” said NYU spokesman John Beckman.