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.
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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.
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.
