A Delware County man has been arrested for allegedly following a woman into a Manhattan bar bathroom and savagely beating her after she rejected his advances.
Mbarek Lafrem, 30, of Norwood, Pa., was brought into custody after a police security camera captured him walking down Eighth Avenue. The camera gave authorities high-quality images of the man walking down the sidewalk and looking at his hand -- an indication it might have been injured in an assault -- shortly after the woman was attacked.
The woman, a 30-year-old pediatric nurse from Connecticut, was hospitalized with a broken eye socket, broken jaw and other injuries. When she regained consciousness, she told hospital workers she had been attacked.
Authorities initially feared she may have been sexually assaulted because her pants were partially pulled off, but police later said it appeared the victim had not been raped.
The attack occurred around 2 a.m. Thursday at Social, a popular three-story bar and lounge on Eighth Avenue where the 29-year-old victim had gone with a friend, authorities said.
The woman told police that she had rebuffed attempts by the man to dance with her, said police spokesman Paul Browne. When she went to the women's restroom on the second floor, he followed her and burst into a stall.
The man beat the victim until she was unconscious. There was bloody evidence of the attack left in the bathroom, police said. The victim was discovered by a friend went to look for her after she failed to return to the bar. The friend assumed the victim had simply fallen, and had the bartender go across the street to a firehouse to get EMS help.
Later when the victim regained consciousness, she told staff at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center that she had been attacked. It was only then, at 5:30 a.m., when police were finally called in.
On Friday, the hospital released a statement on behalf of the victim's family saying they wished to "express their sincere gratitude for the outpouring of support they have received." They also said they would not be granting any interviews at this time.
Midtown regulars were horrified at the news.
"I was in shock because it's a very nice place," said passerby Loren Ellis, who said she occasionally goes to Social and described the bathroom as like any other. "It could happen anywhere. We have to be careful."
Charges are pending in the case, police said.
