A woman from Brooklyn reported that she was raped on Coney Island during the July 4th celebrations. Instead of helping her, bystanders reportedly laughed and recorded the incident.
Melissa Harris, 25, recounted to CBS News that she tripped on a walking mat around 3 a.m. while trying to get away from a man who gave her a “bad vibe.”
“When I fell, he took that opportunity to put his face between my legs. I screamed, and instead of helping, everyone just laughed and recorded,” the Brooklyn resident shared.
“No one came to my aid. It was like no one cared,” she added.
According to Harris, even when a golf cart drove by and shined its light on her and the attacker, the driver chose not to intervene. After escaping the beach, her assailant followed her onto Stillwell Avenue and raped her.
“He bent me over here and assaulted me,” she recalled, pointing to a spot near the iconic boardwalk.
Harris explained, “My face hit the bushes. I couldn’t do anything… I was terrified and screaming for help.” She felt powerless, unable to fight back.
Harris arrived at the boardwalk around 11 p.m., after the fireworks show concluded. She shared a video with CBS News showing a crowd gathered around a bonfire before the attack.
As she described the events, she mentioned that she had been mingling with a group of people she just met, one of whom turned out to be her assailant.
After the incident, she complained that the group simply left her behind.
She opened up about her experience to raise awareness of the issue. The NYPD has not yet responded to requests for further details regarding the report.
