A man is in custody after a brutal assault and rape in an Upper West Side stairwell in the early hours of Saturday morning, police said — and the suspect has been tied to other crimes as well, including the attempted rape of a 16-year-old in 2019.
Cops say Jamel McIver, 30, of East 121st Street, faces charges of rape, sexually motivated burglary and criminal sex act in connection with the incident at 1 a.m. Saturday near West End Avenue and West 65th Street.
The suspect allegedly followed the 21-year-old woman into a building and further to an elevator, before he dragged her out and into a nearby stairwell, where he allegedly assaulted her.
She told police he then forced her back outside before running off on foot. The woman was taken to a hospital.
NBC New York learned that it was McIver's stepfather who turned him in to police, and the suspect was arrested Sunday afternoon. Police said McIver also climbed a fire escape in the Longwood section of the Bronx in 2019 and broke into the bedroom of a 16-year-old girl who was asleep at the time. She woke up to see a man standing over her and allegedly forcing her to touch him.
McIver was arrested and charged in that case with burglary and attempted rape. He was out on bail, awaiting a court appearance later in March. It was not immediately clear why an attempted rape case involving a minor was still pending more than three years later, or why he was allowed out on bail.
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The Bronx district attorney's office said that McIver was released in March 2020 on a plea agreement where he needed to complete two years of in-patient care to address substance abuse and mental health issues. If he failed to complete the treatment, he would be sentenced to five years in prison, the DA's office said.
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McIver has 15 prior arrests in New York City. He was arraigned Monday afternoon for the most recent sexual attack, and remanded.
