A woman whose name has not been released was robbed and slashed in an attack on Monday evening, in the Seaport District. At approximately 7:45 pm, the 25-year-old victim was walking in front of 217 Water Street (near the corner of Beekman Street), when she was approached by an unknown white male assailant, who is believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s.
In an incident that was captured on a poor-quality surveillance camera, the victim told police that she simultaneously felt her purse being pulled, while a knife was held to her throat. According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the perpetrator, “told her to give him the purse and she complied. The individual then slashed the back of her right hand with the knife as he fled the scene on foot westbound on Beekman Street,” in the direction of Pearl Street.
Crime Seen: Click here to view a 13-second video of the assault and robbery, as captured by a surveillance camera on Water Street.
The victim was taken by ambulance to nearby NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital, where she received nine stitches for the laceration on her right hand, and was subsequently released. Officers who responded from the NYPD’s First Precinct fanned out across the neighborhood, but were unable to locate the assailant.
The perpetrator, who made off with an undetermined amount of cash, as well as bank cards and a pair of glasses, has yet to be identified or arrested. He is described as approximately 30-years-old; five feet, eight inches tall; and 160 pounds. He was wearing a dark blue hoody, blue jeans, black shoes, and a dark cap.
The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) for English, or 888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. Information can also be texted to 274637 (CRIMES). All information shared via these channels is kept strictly confidential.
Anthony Notaro, chairman of Community Board 1 (CB1), and president of the First Precinct Community Council, said, “any crime in our community is disturbing. But when we have streets that are not enlivened by activity — commercial or social — there’s an opportunity for criminal behavior. The First Precinct has been effective in CB1, but there must also be an element of prevention. CB1 will continue to represent our residents, workers and visitors by working will all levels of City agencies and private property owners to increase the safety of our neighborhoods.”