Manhattan lady Adrienne Leon was stalked by a person who exposes himself to her in broad daylight on an Higher West Aspect road.
Helayne Seidman
A Manhattan lady was stalked by a pervy predator who snuck up behind her and uncovered himself to her on a bustling Higher West Aspect road — proof, she stated, “the town is getting worse and worse.”
“There have been so many issues that went via my head of what might have occurred,” sufferer Adrienne Leon, 34, informed The Submit about her harrowing June 29 encounter. “It’s scary, as a result of he’s nonetheless on the market.”
Leon was ready to choose up a meal at Tacombi, a preferred Mexican taqueria on Amsterdam close to West 78th St., when she realized a stranger had adopted her — and was fondling himself, simply two yards behind her.
Making the matter all of the extra disturbing — the summer time solar was nonetheless vivid at 7:30 pm and there have been loads of folks on the sidewalk, stated Leon, who works in increased training.
“I seen this man comply with me from the nook of 78th Avenue and Amsterdam, then after I moved away, he moved nearer to me,” stated Leon, who edged towards a close-by doorman constructing for security.
The stranger, who was sporting a protracted beard, “was getting nearer to me and appeared as if he was fondling himself behind the mailbox throughout the constructing and he stored me.”
Involved, Leon walked simply inside the doorway of the doorman constructing at 173 West 78th Avenue, however felt somebody behind her.
“As quickly as I circled, the person adopted me into the doorway and was there together with his penis in his hand and stated to me, ‘Hey, I simply need to speak to you, I believe you’re stunning,” she stated.
“At that second, I didn’t need to scream as a result of I didn’t need him to harm me with a gun or knife. I most likely ought to have screamed, however I froze.”
Leon darted out of the doorway and into Tacombi, the place she known as 911.
The complete episode took lower than three minutes however “it felt like an hour,” Leon stated, including, “It was so distressing and I didn’t know what was going to occur. The power shifted. Was he going to assault me?”
“As I used to be on the cellphone with the 911 dispatcher, the identical man approached one other lady on West 79th and Amsterdam and appeared like he was harassing her, as her hand gestures stored saying ‘no,'” Leon stated.
When police didn’t present up after quarter-hour, Leon, 34, went to the close by twentieth Precinct stationhouse to report the incident — solely to emerge a short while later to search out the fondler in the identical space, strolling block to dam together with his palms in his pants, stealing cash from a homeless man’s cup, and searching into parked automobiles, she stated.
Leon, who volunteers at Rikers Island instructing debate to inmates, recorded the reprobate however, “even with video proof and a robust description, all I might do was file a grievance and hope the predator didn’t discover one other lady to do severe hurt to,” she stated.
After the terrifying encounter, the Los Angeles native, who has lived within the Huge Apple for a decade, warned family and friends to be vigilant and voiced gratitude to the supervisor at Tacombi and the workers of the doorman constructing “for worrying about my security and state of affairs.”
“After this incident I’m questioning whether or not I’m safer strolling within the metropolis or at Rikers Island,” she stated, including she’s “by no means had a destructive expertise” on the jail advanced.
Brendan Sweeney, the doorman on-duty when Leon was accosted, stated he noticed the sleazy suspect “cornering ladies. I noticed him strategy her… I suppose she was within the restaurant close by and he or she got here out and I used to be watching the digital camera, and I noticed him appearing bizarre so I stored watching to see what would occur and I noticed the man strategy her… He was touching himself, wanting into automobiles, taking change out of homeless peoples’ cups and mumbling to himself. This man was actually unusual.”
Neighborhood residents vowed to stay alert within the aftermath of the ugly episode.
“You by no means know what creep might come as much as you whereas strolling dwelling, so yeah, positively staying alert and your environment is tremendous vital,” stated 26-year-old Emily, who declined to offer her final identify.
The NYPD confirmed the incident was reported however stated no arrests had been made.
Critical crime within the twentieth Precinct, which covers the Higher West Aspect, has gone up 30% up to now this yr in comparison with the identical time interval in 2021, in accordance with NYPD knowledge compiled via July 3.
Rapes are up 40%, from 5 to 7; robberies spiked 22%, from 49 to 60; grand larceny soared 28%, from 310 to 398; burglaries climbed 63%, from 46 to 75; and assaults skyrocketed 77%, from 30 to 53, the information present.
In August 2020, Higher West Aspect residents fumed that three neighborhood inns housing a whole bunch of homeless males throughout the coronavirus pandemic had turned the world right into a spectacle of public urination, catcalling and open drug use.
Extra reporting by Maddie Panzer
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