CBS2 Exclusive: Jersey City Woman Recalls Roommate's Brutal Sexual Assault

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Jersey City police are searching for a man they say viciously attacked and sexually assaulted a woman in her own home.

CBS2's Ilana Gold reported the incident took place Monday, Feb. 29, at 3 a.m.

Police said the suspect was going to door-to-door on Pavonia Avenue in the Hamilton Park area, touching the handles trying to get in.

When authorities responded, they found the 24-year-old victim screaming for help. They saw she was badly bruised and she told police she was physically and sexually assaulted.

"She was screaming at the top of her lungs, 'Somebody please help me!'" neighbor Liard Booker recalled.

Booker said the woman ran out of the building after the assault.

"We see a lady laying in the street in her nightgown. It just didn't seem right," he said.

CBS2's Valerie Castro spoke exclusively with the victim's roommate on Wednesday.

"She was assaulted really badly and it looked like she was raped," the woman said.

The terrified woman did not want to be identified after her roommate's brutal attack.

"I was freaked out. I was so scared and right after the thing happened I couldn't sleep," she said.

The woman said she woke up to the sound of the assault and other neighbors quickly called police.

"I was sleeping and I heard somebody was crying and yelling. I thought somebody was fighting upstairs," she said.

When police arrived the suspect was gone, but the woman was severely injured.

"She had a bruise everywhere on her body: her stomach, her face, her eyes, and she has a huge bump on her forehead," the roommate said.

Surveillance video shows the suspect was wearing a black leather jacket, a white-hooded sweatshirt and gloves.

Police believe the suspect tried to open several doors until he found one that was unlocked.

The roommate said she always locks her bedroom door and believes it might have saved her from being attacked. The victim's door was not locked.

"She didn't lock the bedroom door. She didn't lock the apartment door, and it was really easy for him to get inside of the building. The door was super easy to be opened, so he went directly into her room and did all the terrible things," she said.

The roommate said she is now taking extra steps to stay safe.

"I'm getting pepper sprays and other self-defense weapons to protect myself since I'm staying in that area, but I really hope the police can find him soon," she said.

Police are warning the public to be on high alert.

"I guess now I'm going to be on the lookout, lock my doors," one woman told CBS2.

Booker said he hopes police find the suspect before he strikes again.

"He's not a man. He's a monster," Booker said.

The victim has since moved out of the building.