Oct 30, 2007 7:09 pm US/Eastern
Two Women Abducted Outside Upscale LES Club
Women Taken Into Alley, Sexually Assaulted
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A hot spot that draws celebrity A-listers and other New York elite has become the focal point of a serial rape investigation.
Police say two women were abducted separately outside the club called "The Box" located at 189 Chrystie Street and then taken elsewhere to be sexually assaulted.
The latest incident happened when a 23-year-old woman got into a black sedan that she thought was a livery cab.
But police say the car was driven by a rapist.
The victim was driven over the Williamsburg bridge where the suspect then sexually assaulted her, police say. Police released a sketch of a man, around 35 to 40 years old, with a medium build and light brown hair and who spoke with a slight accent.
Area residents remain on high alert.
"It is frightening to know that something as easy as hailing a cab could be so dangerous," one Lower East Side resident told CBS 2.
Just last month, a surveillance camera captured an image of a man who police say forced a 25-year-old woman leaving the club into a white SUV, where he made her drink an unknown liquid, forced her to take money out of an ATM, and later raped her.
Investigators believe there could be a link between the two cases because both women were taken around the same time, both driven over a bridge, and both raped in a dark alley.
The crimes have wome especially concerned for their safety.
"I guess you have to be really careful what dark car you jump into," said East Village resident Petrea Davis.
Police do not have any suspects yet, but hope someone will come forward with information.
"It's really awful, I hope they catch him," said Lower East Side resident Ashley Herman. "I'm sure they will. It's really terrible for those girls."
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