A Queens grand jury indicted a Manhattan man who allegedly tried to rape a woman near the Queens Center mall in Elmhurst late last month.
Police from the 110th Precinct nearly caught him at the scene of the crime before they lost track of him at the Woodhaven Boulevard subway station, but he was apprehended two days later in Manhattan after a similar incident.
Drew Musa, 31, of West 145th Street in Hamilton Heights, was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on July 24 on an indictment charging him with attempted rape in the first degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, and forcible touching for allegedly sexually assaulting the 26-year-old victim near Hoffman Park as she exited the same subway station Musa vanished into as he eluded police during the early morning of Friday, June 27.
“We live in a city that never sleeps, and our streets must remain safe for all New Yorkers at all times,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
According to the charges and investigation, at approximately 4:30 a.m. on June 27, the victim exited the station at Hoffman Drive and Woodhaven Boulevard with Musa following behind her when he allegedly slapped her buttocks before walking away. The woman went to the bus stop at the intersection and waited for her ride home when Musa returned minutes later and allegedly shoved her up against a chain link fence near the bus stop, pulled at her dress, and yanked down his pants “and attempted to engage in anal sexual contact with the victim by means of forcible compulsion,” according to the indictment.
The victim struggled against Musa, and he eventually ran off while she called 911. Police arrived at the scene moments later, and the victim pointed him out to the officers as he ran into the Woodhaven Boulevard subway station, where the cops lost sight of him. The victim was not injured during the attack. Musa was busted about 48 hours later in Manhattan on June 29 after allegedly breaking into an apartment and sexually assaulting the woman who lived there.
“As alleged, this defendant forcibly touched a stranger and then tried to rape her on a public street in the pre-dawn hours,” Katz said. “I thank the victim for bravely calling the police immediately after she was assaulted. Unfortunately, the defendant fled from the Queens attack and is accused of assaulting another individual in Manhattan shortly afterward.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia L. Morris set bail at 200k bond/100k cash/150k partially secured bond and ordered Musa to return to court on Aug. 14. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
“He has now been indicted and will have to answer for the serious charges levied against him by my office,” Katz said.
