A 33-year-old homeless man with 16 prior arrests was charged Sunday with attempting to rape an 83-year-old woman inside her Upper Manhattan apartment, according to police and law-enforcement sources.
Yahiness Holden, whose criminal record includes arrests for forcible touching and weapons possession, was taken into custody in Queens by NYPD officers. He faces charges stemming from the Oct. 26 incident near Vermilyea Avenue and West 204th Street, authorities said.
Holden was arrested after police noticed him occupying multiple seats on a Queens subway train and stopped to question him. Investigators quickly identified him as the man allegedly captured on surveillance footage following the attack, sources said.
Police said Holden followed the elderly woman into her building shortly before 9 a.m. on Oct. 26. After she reached her apartment, he allegedly exposed himself and made “sexual advances” toward her.
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“After a slight struggle, the individual was unsuccessful in entering the apartment and fled the location on foot,” the NYPD said.
The woman suffered minor injuries and was treated, police said.
Holden faces charges of attempted rape, assault, two counts of burglary, stalking and attempted sexual abuse. He was awaiting arraignment.
Most major crimes in New York City have declined this year, but reported rapes have continued to rise. There were 1,774 reported citywide through Nov. 1, compared with 1,740 during the same period last year — a 2% increase.