There is a serial feces stuffer on the loose in New York City. Police have reported that an unnamed 27-year-old woman was walking down the street on East 74th Street near First Avenue at about 6 p.m. last night when she was grabbed from behind by a male assailant. The man then pulled her waist and shoved a bag of feces down her pants, grabbed her butt then fled the scene. Police are saying that the same man then repeated his attack hours later on another victim, this time smearing feces on the person. In both cases, the man seems to have been wearing latex gloves. The suspect is described as about 40 years old, 6 feet tall and 200 pounds and police believe that he is a homeless individual.
There has been a significant increase in crimes by homeless people including a series of face slashings that occurred earlier this year by unknown suspects. Residents in the community are understandably upset over these attacks. “City officials estimate that between 3,000 and 4,000 people sleep nightly on New York City’s streets, while nearly 58,000 more — including 23,000 children — live in shelters. That’s up from 42,000 in the past three years, according to the city. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has separately recorded a 37 percent increase in New York City’s homeless population since 2009.”
Compounding the issue is the fact that a significant number of homeless people have mental illness issues and do not have access to treatment and medication. Ishanee Parikh, spokesperson for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stated to media recently, “It takes multiple outreach efforts to build trust with individuals living on the streets.”
At this time, the New York City Police Department is asking for anyone with any information on the feces stuffing assailant to please contact the department.
