Bronx man nabbed in Manhattan attempted sex assaults of three women: NYPD

Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News
·2 min read
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A man who tried to sexually assault three women in separate broad daylight attacks in Manhattan on Dec. 31 was arrested, police said Saturday.

Police cuffed Christopher Marrero, 23, Thursday morning for the New Year’s Eve incidents. He was hit with charges that include two counts of sexual abuse, attempted sexual abuse, and attempted rape, according to a criminal complaint.

A Manhattan criminal court judge ordered Marrero held on $50,000 cash bail or $75,000 bond at his Friday arraignment, records show.

In the first attack at about 10:10 a.m. that day, Marrero, of the Bronx, zeroed in on a 21-year-old woman riding the train, staring at her and then following her as she transferred and eventually exited the Union Square subway station, said the criminal complaint.

As the woman walked from the station towards E. 16th St. and Fifth Ave., Marrero grabbed her by the arm and tried to drag her into a secluded alleyway, said cops and the criminal complaint.

The victim managed to break away and ran off on Fifth Ave., cops said.

Less than two hours later, at around 12 p.m., Marrero chose a second victim two blocks away, on E. 14th St. and Fifth Ave., cops said.

When the 24-year-old woman walked into a bathroom at a business near the intersection, Marrero forced his way inside behind her, said the criminal complaint. He then pushed her face first against the door by her waist before attempting to rip her pants off, said police.

The woman was able to escape the bathroom, and Marrero took off.

At about 2:00 p.m. Marrero targeted a third woman inside an apartment building at E. 18th St. First Ave. in Stuyvesant Town, the large residential apartment complex east of Union Square.

Marrero grabbed the 24-year-old woman’s waist from behind and forced her against a wall before rubbing his groin up against her buttocks, the criminal complaint said. The woman screamed leading a passerby to approach them, and Marrero took off, cops said.

None of the women were hurt during the incidents, police said.

Marrero was previously arrested three times in a two week span in July for assault and criminal mischief charges, police sources said. Jail records show he faces charges brought in the Bronx.