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Manhattan High Rise Residents Fight Back After Dirty Doorman Allegedly Texts X-Rated Pictures

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A building with a doorman represents a sanctuary of safety and security to some, but CBS2 spoke exclusively with two young women who say one of their doormen texted them X-rated pictures of himself.

They say they were shaken, but ultimately decided to fight back.

"I was shocked and my first instinct was to ask who it was, and he told me to guess," one of them said.

That's how Tudor City residents Christina and Taryn say the sick game started. The photographs they received were so graphic, they couldn't be shown on television. The girls claim he targeted them because they were both single, and he knew they each lived in studio apartments.

Tudor City Dirty Doorman
Image allegedly sent by Christina and Taryn's doorman. (credit: CBS2)

"One of the things he said to me is 'Now I know why you're still single,' Taryn said. "That to me was a clue that it was someone who intimately knows me and the patterns of my life."

At least four others in the luxury high rise claim they got the pornographic images. Christina filed a police report, but Taryn opted to engage him. Since the texts were coming from a hidden number, she baited him to supposedly reveal more information about where he worked.

She says she eventually got an image which she then took to her building's super.

"I showed him the pictures and we were able to fairly narrow down who we thought it was," Taryn said.

"Once we confirmed it was a doorman in our building, I immediately grabbed all my keys that they have downstairs," Christina said. "That night I had a nightmare that he was going to break into my apartment."

The doorman was eventually fired, but he hasn't been arrested and charges haven't been filed. Police say they're still looking into the complaints. CBS2 reached out to building management, who said they won't comment on "private co-op business."

Both Taryn and Christina say they're disappointed at how the situation was handled.

"I don't think management was proactive," Taryn said. "I don't think the superintendent was proactive and the police clearly weren't going to step in and do anything."

"What we have is that we are following the law and what we have is that line between harassment complaints and aggravated harassment complaints and the balance of the investigation when we can make an arrest," NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said.

The disturbing ordeal may be over for the women, but experts say the impact can be long-lasting.

"There's no right or wrong way to process a trauma or an event like this," Psychologist Jonathan Alpert said. "Other people, they might feel victimized. They might feel embarrassed, they might feel shame, and they might sort of withdraw or disappear."

The women say they managed to find strength in outing the dirty doorman to building management and police, taking responsibility for their own safety.

"I wasn't going to let someone make me feel unsafe in my home," Taryn said.

CBS2 made several attempts to get in touch with the building employee who was fired for allegedly sending the X-rated pictures and texts, but was not able to reach him. Police say they're still probing the complaints, and because of the incidents some local politicians are looking into drafting new legislation to make those kinds of actions a crime.

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