The man who allegedly attempted to rape a woman inside a midtown Manhattan nail salon has been apprehended and charged, according to police.
Joseph Wichard was detained Saturday in connection with the attack on a 34-year-old woman inside a nail salon at West 36th Street and Broadway on September 1, according to police.
Around 6 p.m., the man managed to get into the business while the woman was cleaning up. It was unclear how the man entered the building, which required guests to buzz in.
The woman was transported to the hospital for treatment.
In an exclusive interview with NBC New York and Telemundo 47, the victim stated that she was dragged into a room while the suspect fondled her, but she managed to fight back.
“I bit his cheek.” “I bit him very hard,” she explained in Spanish.
The victim stated that she then grabbed the thing closest to her, a vacuum, and began pounding him with it. When she fled to an elevator to avoid him, she claims her attacker dragged her by the hair and took off her clothes. She cried for aid, but no one heard her.
Finally, the woman claimed she was able to smack her attacker with the vacuum hard enough to scare him away.
“Today’s victim is me. Tomorrow, it could be a girl,” she explained.
Wichard was charged with attempted rape and sexual abuse. Attorney information for the 35-year-old was not immediately available.
While the NYPD has boasted historic lows in shootings, subway attacks, and retail theft, rape cases have been on the rise. So far in 2025, police have responded to almost 1,300 rape attacks across the five boroughs, a more than 23% increase over 2024.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
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