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Young woman fights off sexual assault on E. Ninth Street

BY SARAH FERGUSON | Updated March 21, 2:45 p.m.: A young woman was sexually assaulted on E. Ninth Street Tuesday evening when a stranger followed her to her ground-floor apartment just east of Tompkins Square Park and forced his way inside.

According to residents, the woman fought the man off until the super, hearing her screams, came running from the back courtyard and chased the perpetrator away at around 5:30 p.m.

A police spokesperson initially termed the incident an “assault” but was awaiting reports from detectives. Neighbors say the woman appeared shaken but not hurt.

Police said the man was carrying a blue skateboard, with a cut on his hand. He ran out of the building.

After The Village Sun broke the story, the New York Post subsequently reported that a suspect, Vertell Dunham, 25, was arrested. According the Post, he reportedly feigned injury to try to get the woman to help him, then barged into her apartment. He choked her, pulled down his pants and tried to force her to perform oral sex on him, but she was able to shove him out of her place.

The incident follows a shooting on the west side of Tompkins Square Park early Saturday afternoon that left two people wounded. The gunman fled west down Ninth Street and has not been arrested.

2 Comments

  1. ted tedorov ted tedorov March 20, 2024

    a repeat offender, I bet.

    • laura laura March 20, 2024

      accurate despriction. generally MSM uses buzzwords: teen, youth, man 5ft 8 ish.

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