The homeless man (left) has allegedly committed at least three sex crimes similar in nature (Pictures: New York Police Department/Google)
A homeless man who allegedly choked, raped and robbed a woman on an early morning jog in New York City has been arrested and found to be wanted in other sex crimes.
The 29-year-old suspect is accused of attacking a 43-year-old woman who was running at Pier 45 around 4.30am on Thursday. He was taken into custody at the Port Authority Bus Terminal a few hours after the incident, the New York Post reported. The man was not immediately charged or identified.
He allegedly grabbed the woman from behind, choked her until she fainted, removed her clothing, raped her and stole her phone, wallet and headphones. The suspect fled on a Citi Bike, according to the newspaper.
The woman was found by a fellow jogger and transported to a nearby hospital.
The homeless man was arrested on Thursday hours after a woman on an early morning jog was raped and robbed (Picture: New York Police Department)
He was tracked down by police through stolen credit cards he used to buy $39 in Red Bull drinks at a Target in Midtown.
The homeless man was wanted for at least two prior sex crimes and was arrested 25 times or more in the past, law enforcement sources told the Post. He apparently used the same approach in three early morning assaults.
On October 6 around 5am, the man allegedly went up from behind a 48-year-old woman walking on FDR Drive near East 37th Street. He reportedly put a chokehold on the woman and tried to unclothe her and rape her, but the woman escaped. However, he was able to steal her phone and wallet and used her credit cards to make a purchase at a smoke shop on First Avenue, according to the Post.
The homeless man reportedly has at least 25 prior arrests (Picture: New York Police Department)
The other attack happened on March 27, when the man allegedly targeted a woman jogging on Pier 40 around 6am. The homeless man apparently rode up on a bicycle to the woman, shoved her to the ground, choked and sexually assaulted her. He managed to steal her phone.
Before the three sex crimes, the man was arrested at two dozen times, in most cases for assault, petit larceny, drug possession and drug dealing, sources told the newspaper. He does not have any open criminal cases in the state.
He most recently lived at a homeless shelter in downtown Manhattan, court records indicate.
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The suspect allegedly used the same approach in three early morning sex crimes.
