Man Sexually Assaulted Woman, Bit Her Before Stealing $5, Police Say

A man has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman on a New York City street and then stealing cash from her.

Marlon Serrano from Tennessee was charged with attempted rape, robbery, sexual abuse and criminal possession of a weapon Friday, New York Daily News reported. Police said he grabbed the 58-year-old female victim, who was walking down a street in Queens on Jan. 22. He pushed her down and threatened her to not scream by showing a knife. Serrano then stole $5 from her pocket.

According to a criminal complaint, Serrano got on top of the victim and grabbed her buttocks and groin while pulling her pants down. He bit her buttocks with enough force to cause the victim to bleed. A motorcyclist saw this and drove up to Serrano, which scared him away.

After the NYPD released a surveillance image last week, a person, who had known Serrano for more than five years, recognized him and alerted the police, which resulted in his arrest. When questioned, Serrano told police that he accidentally fell on the woman.

During his arraignment Saturday, a Queens criminal court judge ordered him held without bail.

In a similar incident reported from Brooklyn last October, an 85-year-old woman was sexually assaulted inside the laundry room of her apartment. The suspect allegedly entered the laundry, found the woman and tried to assault her. However, another resident of the building walked in, causing the perpetrator to panic and run away.

In recent years, New York City has seen a significant increase in crime, with murder cases increasing 41% by December last year compared to the previous year. The crime rate rose mainly in the precincts inhibited by numerous gangs. For example, in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville neighborhoods, shooting incidents rose by 170% in 2020.