Watch CBS News

Westchester Residents On Edge After 2 Women Attacked By Masked Gunman

HARTSDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Westchester Police are searching for a masked man they say is armed and dangerous after women in two different upscale neighborhoods claim he tried to attack them.

The first victim got off a train at the Metro-North station in Hartsdale Thursday just before 7:30 p.m. She walked over a bridge to Scarsdale, where police say a man wearing a black ski mask and carrying a handgun grabbed her in her driveway.

"I think as women, that's always something we have to fear, always something we're told about," Sabine Oliver said.

Then — just 23 minutes later — a similar attack, possibly involving the same masked suspect, happened a few miles away near the corner of Scarsdale Road and Pennsylvania Avenue in the Crestwood section of Yonkers. Police say a 19-year-old woman was in her car when the masked man wearing all black and holding a gun got in the vehicle and tried to sexually assault and rob her.

"He wanted to rape her," Gloria Ermayo, mother of one of the victim's friends. "He said pull up your pants."

Ermayo said her daughter came running when she heard the victim screaming.

"The man got surprised, couldn't do anything else, and meanwhile the girls run out the car and ran towards a FedEx that was also coming up," Ermayo said.

Police said the suspect left both victims physically unharmed. But in neighborhoods lined with multi-million dollar homes, the attacks have left residents unnerved.

"Very surprising, this is usually a really, really safe neighborhood," one resident said. "I would never have thought twice about walking late at night around here."

"Totally unbelievable totally," Ermayo said. "I cannot even explain."

Monday night, people in both areas had their lights on and their guard up.

As CBS2's Jessica Layton reported, Scarsdale police are working with Yonkers police to try and figure out for sure if it's the same man in each case. Specifically, they're looking at DNA evidence collected at each scene to try and make that match.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.