SoHo residents on alert after sex attack

By Marlene Naanes, amNewYork Staff Writer and Megan Stride, Special to amNewYork

8:35 PM EDT, May 28, 2008

SoHo residents feared for their safety yesterday after a man armed with a box cutter followed a woman into her apartment building and raped her, the second sex attack in the neighborhood since April.

A police van blasting the description of the attacker over a megaphone and asking people to call with tips patrolled the area where the 3:30 a.m. attack occurred.

"It was really very frightening," said Maria Corsaro. "I think a lot of us are not on our guard as much as we should be. I think I'll be more careful than I was in the past."

The victim, an unidentified 19-year-old woman, walked home alone from a SoHo subway station and was attacked when she reached her Prince Street building, police said. The man, who was wielding a box cutter, forced her into the courtyard and raped her.

Freddy Rebiro, the building superintendent, said he learned about the attack on the morning news.

"I would never expect this to happen in my building," he said, adding that he lives a block away. "I'm scared for my family, too. I walk home early in the morning sometimes, and that makes me nervous. It's not just the women; this can happen to anybody."

The woman was taken to Bellevue for treatment. CBS 2 News reported that the man had asked for a cigarette, which she gave him, before the attack. He is described as stocky, short with a pockmarked face and was wearing a blue hat at the time, the report said.

Rebiro, 26, said the woman moved into the building about a month ago and he didn't know her well. The landlord, he said, will install security cameras outside the front door, inside the entrance and in the courtyard. He doubts, however, this will comfort the victim.

"If I was in her place, I'm pretty sure I'd move out. Every time she walks in the front door, she's gonna remember what happened," Rebiro said.

Police have not linked Wednesday's attack with an April 13 assault on a 25-year-old woman who also nearly was raped in her SoHo apartment.

The number of rapes in the police precinct that covers the neighborhood has doubled since last year from two to four.

Debbie Shadwick, who lived in SoHo for 40 years before moving to the Bronx eight years ago, said the now posh neighborhood has changed.

"It never used to be like this in the old neighborhood people would sit outside until late," said Shadwick, 48, who works in SoHo. "You knew everybody and we were out all hours of the night and it was never a problem."

Residents said sometimes people assume they're OK even late at night.

"I think people in this neighborhood tend to feel safe but it's something to think about especially if you're a woman on your own," said Sarah Merkel, 24.