Inwood Attacker Lifts Woman Off Ground, Gropes Her Near West 213th Street

A man crept up behind a 25-year-old woman near 10th Avenue and West 213th Street in Inwood just before 3 a.m. on August 13, lifted her off the ground and groped her before running off into the dark. Nearly two weeks later, he's still unidentified, and NYPD Crime Stoppers is now offering cash for any tip that leads to an arrest.

According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the unidentified individual approached the victim from behind, lifted her off the ground, and grabbed her chest and the area between her legs before fleeing on foot to parts unknown. The incident happened at approximately 2:59 a.m. within the confines of the 34th Precinct, which polices Washington Heights and Inwood north of West 179th Street from its station house at 4295 Broadway, according to the NYPD.

The stretch of 10th Avenue and West 213th Street sits in Manhattan's northernmost neighborhood, close to the 207th Street A-train terminus, Columbia University's Baker Athletics Complex, and Inwood Hill Park, per Time Out. The area transitioned from colonial farm tracts and burial grounds into a dense residential neighborhood in the early 20th century, following the expansion of Manhattan's subway lines into the far north end of the island, the outlet notes.

What the Law Calls This Attack

What the suspect is accused of doing falls under New York Penal Law § 130.52, which classifies forcible touching as a Class A misdemeanor for intentionally touching another person's intimate body parts without consent to degrade, abuse, or satisfy sexual desire. A conviction can carry up to one year in jail or six years of probation, according to Saland Law.

Because the victim was an adult, a conviction in this case would not trigger mandatory sex offender registration under the New York Sex Offender Registration Act — a requirement that only kicks in when the victim is under 18, per the Fast Law Firm. Prosecutors also have a limited window to act: misdemeanor charges like forcible touching carry a two-year statute of limitations under New York Criminal Procedure Law, as Hoodline has previously reported.

Reward Offered, Tip Lines Open

NYPD Crime Stoppers, run through the New York City Police Foundation, is offering up to $3,500 for anonymous information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case. Tips can be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website, by calling 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), through a Spanish-language hotline at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or by messaging the @NYPDTips account on X.

A Precinct Already Seeing More Complaints

The attack adds to a modest rise in similar complaints tracked in the 34th Precinct this year. NYPD CompStat data through late July shows 79 “Other Sex Crimes” complaints recorded in the precinct year-to-date, a 9.7% increase from the 72 logged over the same stretch in 2025. Citywide, the picture looks far more stable — 3,513 complaints in that category through August 23, according to NYPD figures, essentially flat compared to the 3,512 recorded during the same period last year.

That local uptick stands out against a broader citywide trend of falling major crime. A midyear 2026 analysis from the Manhattan Institute found that overall major felony crime across New York fell 5.6% in early 2026 compared to the prior year, even as misdemeanor assault and sex crime complaints stayed elevated relative to pre-2020 levels.

Part of a Pattern of Unsolved Groping Cases

This is not the first forcible touching case NYPD Crime Stoppers has publicized in the area. In February, investigators sought a suspect in a 181st Street butt-slap case involving a teenage victim within the same 34th Precinct. Other recent NYPD bulletins have sought suspects in similar unsolved groping incidents elsewhere in the city, including on a Brooklyn N train and near a Cypress Hills bus stop, both publicized this week.

No surveillance images or physical description of the Inwood suspect have been publicly released, leaving residents with only the location and timing of the attack to go on for now. Anyone with information is urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers through the channels listed above.