by Mike Schnitzel
"I heard a scream, and at first I thought it might have been a cat," said Stanley Lombardo. "When I finally realized it was a person, I went to the window, and when I put on the light by my window [the attacker] took off."
Lombardo said that the young woman told him she was on her way home from the East Rockaway train station after a night out with friends when she was approached by a man who attacked her.
"It was an attempted sexual assault, but the act wasn't completed," said Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Kevin Smith.
According to Lombardo, the victim said that the man, who was clean-cut and well built, tried to grab her. She told Lombardo that she was talking on her cell phone with friends at the time, and the assailant grabbed her cell phone and snapped it in half.
"The receiver didn't work, so she couldn't speak with her friends, but the cell phone was still on and her friends heard her being attacked," said Lombardo. The victim told Lombardo that she thought the man was trying to rob her, so she tried to hand over her purse.
"She offered up her purse, but he didn't want it," said Lombardo. Instead, the victim told Lombardo, the attacker began to rip at her clothing. "When I got to her, her top had been ripped off," he said.
Lombardo said that the victim had been punched and kicked and that the assailant had attacked her with a Coke bottle. Nassau County police reports confirm that the victim was hit in the head with a Coke bottle.
"She had a cut above her eye, two black eyes, and a busted lip," said Lombardo. "She tried to fend him off, but he beat her up pretty bad."
Lombardo's wife, Cory, came out to assist the victim when she realized what was going on. "I saw the girl out there and I called 911," said Cory. "My husband yelled up to me to get a washcloth, because she was bleeding a lot."
Frank Laurino, who lives down the block from the scene of the assault, also came out to assist the victim when he heard screams. "Once I determined where the cries were coming from, I went over to help," said Laurino. "I heard screams, but my view was blocked. Once I got out there, we [Laurino and the Lombardos] tried to comfort the young lady until the police arrived. They got there shortly after."
The assailant managed to escape, running east down Althouse Avenue toward the waterfront area, according to Lombardo. Laurino also saw the attacker making his escape. "He ran right by the window of my house," said Laurino. Neither Lombardo nor Laurino was able to catch the assailant. "When that fellow saw the light go on and heard Stanley yelling, that's when he bolted," said Laurino. "[Lombardo is] the one that really saved her."
According to Lombardo, the victim is recuperating from her injuries. "She came over on the Fourth of July with a cake and a thank-you note," he said. "I'm just grateful she's OK. If I could have jumped out of my window, I would have, because when I saw what was going on, I was in shock."
Det. Lieutenant Smith said the suspect is a white male with an olive complexion, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, with dark hair, clean shaven, and wore a short-sleeve black dress shirt, blue jeans and possibly dress shoes.
"We have witnesses who saw the subject," said Smith who told the Herald the police department is attempting to compile a composite sketch of the suspect.
Comments about this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
