Man Sought In Attempted Rape At East Village Senior Home

NEW YORK, NY —Police are asking for the public's help in finding a man in connection with an attempted rape at an East Village senior home. Around 11:15 a.m. Saturday, a man walked up to a 46-year-old woman in the laundry room of the Tanya Towers near East 13th Street and Avenue B, police said. He persuaded her to follow him outside the room and then grabbed her arm and neck, police said.

When the woman fought back, she fell to the ground. The man then covered her mouth and tried to take her clothes off. He took off when the woman continued to struggle and screamed.

Police said they're looking to question 43-year-old Julio Mendez. He is described as a Hispanic man who stands 5-feet-6-inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. He has an average build, medium complexion, short black hair and brown eyes, police said.

Emergency responders rushed the victim to Bellevue Hospital where she was treated and released.

According to SeniorHousing.net, the Tanya Towers provides low income affordable housing to seniors in New York City.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

Photo credit: NYPD