Boston police officers say they personally interrupted a sexual assault in progress near the Charlestown bridge early Thursday morning, arresting a 33-year-old Malden man who now faces a felony charge of assault with intent to rape along with assault and battery and threats. The suspect, identified as Marouane El Chardani, is being held pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for October 7.
According to investigators, the alleged incident occurred shortly before 2 a.m. near the intersection of North Washington and Chelsea streets in Charlestown, close to the span now officially known as the William Felton “Bill” Russell Bridge, which was renamed in October 2024 following a multi-year reconstruction project, according to the City of Boston. The female victim told officers that El Chardani had followed her from a 7-Eleven store on Causeway Street, as reported by WCVB. That 7-Eleven sits in Boston’s North Station entertainment corridor, roughly half a mile south across the Charles River from where the assault is alleged to have occurred, per Wikipedia.
Officers say they observed the assault already underway and moved in to interrupt it. When questioned, El Chardani repeatedly told officers, “I gave her $100,” a statement confirmed by James Borghesani, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, per the same outlet’s report.
What El Chardani Is Charged With
El Chardani faces charges of assault with intent to rape, assault and battery, and threats, the station’s report states. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 24, assault with intent to commit rape is a felony carrying a potential penalty of up to 20 years in state prison or up to 2.5 years in a house of correction upon conviction, according to Aprodu Law. A standalone assault and battery conviction, meanwhile, carries a maximum penalty of up to 2.5 years in a house of correction or a $1,000 fine under Chapter 265, Section 13A, per Riccio Law. These are allegations only, and El Chardani has not been convicted of any offense.
Dangerousness Hearing Set for October 7
El Chardani is being held pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for October 7. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 276, Section 58A, a judge can order a defendant detained without bail if prosecutors prove by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions can ensure community safety, allowing the accused to be held for up to 120 days in District Court, according to the Serpa Law Office. Whether prosecutors meet that standard will be determined at next week’s hearing.
A Corridor With Recent Scrutiny
The area around the bridge has drawn law-enforcement attention before. In May 2025, Massachusetts State Police and Boston Police investigated a separate reported sexual assault in Paul Revere Park, which sits directly adjacent to the Charlestown foot of the bridge, according to Boston 25 News. The commercial strip and the neighboring Charlestown precinct fall under the shared command of the Boston Police Department’s District A-1 and District A-15 divisions, which operate out of the A-1 station on New Sudbury Street, per the department.
The case also arrives amid broader municipal attention to safety in Boston’s nightlife corridors. In April 2026, the Boston City Council passed a resolution requesting data and reports on municipal efforts to combat drug-facilitated sexual assault and related safety concerns near nightlife districts, according to records filed with Boston Legistar. That comes even as citywide crime data compiled for 2024 showed a 22 percent year-over-year decrease in reported rapes and attempted rapes, part of broader violent crime reductions that continued into early 2026, per figures from Alarm New England citing Boston Police Department data.
This marks the second Charlestown-area assault case Hoodline has covered this year, following a bar lanyard-lock attack probe in June. Survivors of sexual assault can reach the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center’s 24-hour confidential hotline at 800-841-8371 for crisis counseling, medical advocacy, and court accompaniment services, according to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.
