Bronx Man Arrested for Attempted Rape on Subway Platform

Sunday saw the arrest of a Bronx man for attempted rape on an Upper East Side subway platform in broad daylight.

Shameless Daylight Crime in NYC Subway System

31-year-old Jose Reyes was arrested around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, after the NYPD received several tips on the identity of the man. It was also said that the department’s facial recognition team matched a clip posted online of the assault to a mugshot of Reyes from an arrest earlier this year.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison told reporters that Reyes’ attempt to rape a woman on the subway was interrupted by a person who was observing his behavior and later recorded Reyes, which Harrison said was successful in “scaring him away.”

Harrison described how the situation went by saying that the victim was riding the F train home from work when she encountered the man, who was “smoking some type of hookah and started making weird noises and laughing to himself.” The two later got off at the station, where Reyes began gesturing toward her, then punching her and pushing her to the ground, as the woman was trying to move away. Reyes then continued his assault by climbing on top of her and attempting to spread her legs, Harrison said.

The police said that the victim suffered minor injuries, but refused medical attention.

Reyes was later arrested with narcotics in his possession, which Harrison believes could have contributed to the attack. The department also said that Reyes did not know his victim, as well as that he confessed to the attempted rape.

The man has previously been arrested 14 times, with three of them taking place on the subway system, although the police said that none were sexual in nature until now. Reyes was charged with attempted rape at his arraignment Monday, where he was held on $75,000 cash bail.