A Brooklyn girl alleged that she was raped on Coney Island whereas celebrating the Fourth of July — and bystanders simply laughed and filmed as an alternative of attempting to save lots of her.
Melissa Harris, 25, informed CBS Information she tripped over a strolling mat on the seaside at round 3 a.m. that night time whereas attempting to flee a person with “unhealthy vibes” marching menacingly towards her.
“He noticed that I used to be on the ground and that’s when he put his face between my legs, and I began screaming and everybody began laughing and recording me,” stated the Brooklyn native, who allowed herself to be recognized within the hopes of discovering her attacker. “No person helped. No person stopped.”
At one level, a lightweight from a golf cart shined on her and her attacker — however the driver simply drove off with out intervening, stated Harris, who has reported the assault to the NYPD, The Publish confirmed.
When she managed to free herself and go away the seaside, her assailant adopted her down Stillwell Avenue and raped her, she stated.
“He bent me over over right here, and he raped me,” she informed CBS, pointing towards a planter simply beside a number of the famed boardwalk rides.
“My face hit the bushes. I couldn’t do something … I used to be simply actually scared after which I used to be screaming for assist,” Harris stated.
“I used to be simply terrified, and I couldn’t struggle again,” she stated, saying that there have been additionally witnesses for the second a part of her nightmarish ordeal.
Harris stated she had arrived on the boardwalk round 11 p.m. Friday after the fireworks had completed. She shared video with CBS Information exhibiting a crowd of individuals standing round a bonfire earlier than the assault.
She informed News12 Brooklyn that she had been hanging out with a bunch of individuals she had simply met — and the assailant was one in all them.
After the assaults, she claims the group ran off.
She stated she’s sharing her story as a way to get the person of the streets.
The NYPD didn’t instantly reply to the Publish’s request for added data.
