Woman thrown on subway tracks, sexually assaulted

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A MTA worker is being hailed as a hero after he helped stop a frightening sex assault on a subway platform in Lower Manhattan.

Police say the suspect, armed with a screwdriver, attacked his victim around 1 a.m. Wednesday just after she got off the J train at the Bowery Street and Delancey Street subway station.

According to authorities, the 36-year-old victim was on an escalator when 29-year-old Michael Torres grabbed her around the neck, covered her mouth and told her not to scream. He then dragged her to the end of the platform, threw her on the tracks and sexually assaulted her. As Torres attempted to rape the woman, she heard a track worker on the tracks and began to yell.

The MTA worker heard the woman's screams and rushed to her aid, scaring off the suspect.

EMS responded to the scene, and the victim was transported to an area hospital where she was treated and released for contusions to the mouth, ribs and back.

Police used street cameras to track Torres to a men's shelter on Bowery Street, where he was arrested late Wednesday night.

He is charged with assault, attempted rape, criminal sex act, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.

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new york city, lower manhattan, sexual assault, rape, subway crime, subway, sex crime, new york news, anthony johnson

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