A 30-year-old Sunnyside female was sexually attacked on 46th Street this morning (Sunday).
The perpetrator attacked the woman in the vicinity of 39-08 46th Street and “put his hands down her blouse and punched her in the face,” according to police. The incident occurred at 5:45 am. The woman had been visiting relatives and had just caught the subway home.
Mike Novak, a 46th street resident, heard from his house the woman yelling for help.
“I ran out of my house and he had her in the bushes,” Novak said. “I chased after him, but he had sneakers while I was barefoot so he got away.”
Novak, whose wife is a nurse, brought the victim back to his house. His wife made sure she was ok before the police and EMS arrived.
Novak described the man as a Hispanic in his late 20s.
The New York Post did a follow up on the story this morning (Monday).
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30 Comments
mike n…great job bud!!! lemme buy u a round @ 1 of the nabe watering holes…
neighborhood watch…im in!
celtic res…glad u got involved…kudos to u…so many people dont want to get involved bec of fear of repercussions (i admit im 1 of them), but it is amazing how bad it has become!!!
Hard to believe but a similar incident happened to me in 1980 on the same street…46th st between 39th ave and Skillman. Someone grabbed me from behind and I screamed so loud a neighbor ran out of his house to help me. The guy took off and was never caught. You NEVER heard of anything like that happening in Sunnyside back then. That was a street I had walked thousands of times by myself at ALL hours and never felt afraid. Anyway Sunnyside to me is still the best neighborhood in the WORLD =)
Good work, Celtic Resident. Too many people are afraid to get involved.
Cheers! to you Celtic Resident. Thank you. Gallantry is catching on.
Of course I meant to say ” If you see something, say something”
Krissi, I was in Mc.Donald’s sat when a young man and ( I assume ) his or his ex got into a verbal argument.She told him to leave her alone and reminded him of two orders of protection she had taken out against him.The words continued on the street and he really looked like he was going toget violent.At this stage he was screaming at her and banging on store windows.I had my cell ready to dial 911 when i spotted the flashing lights of a cop car under the ell at 45th street.I told the officer what I had observed and especially the orders of protection.When the officer approached him he bolted and the cop gave chase down 45th st towards Greenpoint Ave. I don’t know if they ever got him but the response was great. I know it sounds a little corney “I you see something say something” I’m glad I did.
Get the bastard who asssaulted this poor woman! I hope they were able to get some DNA – maybe hairs from the guy.
Having a child who lives in that area, it’s comforting to know there are still GOOD people out there! You and your wife will be blessed two fold! I hope all the residents of Sunnyside come together as a watch for their neighborhood. Bravo to you both!
“Punched her in the face” – that is assault and since he touched her breasts and tried to push her into the bushes, it is some kind of sexual assault. It is more than groping.
The auxiliaries should be out on the streets at certain times. I have not seen them for a while. I believe that their presence is a deterrant. Somebody mentioned “neighborhood watch”. we know how well that turned out in Florida. I hate to bring that up, but one must. That is the other side of the coin. Raquel and a couple of other ladies have mentioned in the past that they have seen some bad kids hanging around – the police should take that seriously. The Gardens are very isolated.
I’m so happy this story is receiving publicity. Bravo to Mr and Mrs Novak for helping this woman!! I hope the police increase their presence in the neighborhood and start taking the crime here seriously. I think the official crime stats for the neighborhood are a joke.
Does anyone know what happened on Greenpoint Ave on Saturday afternoon? Police seemed to be on chase.
Well done Mr. Novak! Shudder to think what would have happened to that punk had you caught up with him. You are a true neighborhood Hero
Enough already with the burglers and gropers – let’s reintroduce the neighborhood watch group. Vote for Mike as team leader.
Special thanks to Sunnyside post for getting the story out.
I’m so sorry to read about this latest incident…as a female who often goes for early morning runs I will certainly be more vigilant from now on.
And thank you, Mike, for intervening here and preventing a potentially disastrous situation.
Good work, local hero. Glad that you helped the lady. This neighborhood is getting more dangerous and I don’t care what the real estate brokers are telling people. Some of us have seen some strange things going on involving drugs, unsavory characters on Skillman at night, etc. I wonder where the groper was coming from . . .
this is way too close to home, i’m always walking down that street.
Wonderful job, Mike Novack! I’m proud to have you as a fellow Sunnysider!
Thanks to Mr. Novak for sure. We all must be vigilant.
Mike, Thanks so much for your efforts to keep the neighborhood safe. I left a snarky comment aimed at you in the garage rental thread (which I stand by) but it’s great to see that you are not all talk and actually help make Sunnyside a great place. Hopefully the woman recovers from this horrific incident, and our neighborhood gets the police coverage it deserves.
Time to round up the posse. I think the crime situation north of the Blvd is going to get worse in the next several months when the park at 43rd and Skillman is closed for renovations for one year. Where are all those young men going to go to work off their energy and what are they going to be doing? Anyway, the community is fortunate to have good people like Mr. Novak and his wife who are willing to step forward when needed.
Sunnyside post did a great job breaking the story. I saw it on their site yesterday.
This doesn’t sound like the “Sunnyside Groper” who was grabbing women as he rode by on his bike a few months ago. Whatever happened to him?
Either way, great segment on NY1 this morning, Mr. Novak!
I am sorry for this young lady.
Being an earlier commuter myself I always choose the streets over the sidewalk.
Thank you mr and mrs Novak.
Bravo Mr & Mrs Novak.
I would love to put cameras up, but “The Preservationists”…Jeff Krosseler, Laura Heim and Herb Reynolds would have a hissyfit and fight tooth and nail against it. After all, that would mean altering the most precious and Holy facades of the Sunnyside Gardens buildings. But that is another fight.
vote for cameras at certain spots
this wasn’t even too late or too early, it’s just 6am for god’s sake. Happy easter.
What is going on in our community? Thank you, Mike, for potentially saving this woman’s life. I’m sure there are many runners at that hour who will need to be extra vigilant from here forth.
Sunnyside hero! Thank you we need more people like you. I hope she will be ok.
Geeez, thats horrible. Im sorry for the victim. Thank god a good samaritan stopped it before it could of gotten worse. Whats with that area down there lately? So much seems to happen there. It’s out of control already.
Thanks for helping a woman in need, Mike. We need more men like you. And thank you to Mrs. Novak for her expert help.