Three women attacked within the space of one hour in a New York City park

Three women were attacked within about an hour of each other in a park at the northernmost tip of Manhattan, and police believe the same suspect may have been behind all the assaults.

The first attack in upper Manhattan’s Inwood Hill Park took place in the late morning on Wednesday, when a man punched a 34-year-old woman and told her he wanted to rape her. He then robbed the woman, fleeing with her iPhone and Apple watch, reports the New York Post, citing police.

Less than an hour later, a 40-year-old woman was also ambushed. She was walking her dog in the same park when a man threatened to rob and sexually assault her, and told her that he was going to kill her dog. He ran away when the woman shouted for help, according to the New York Police Department.

Shortly after that, a third woman, 44, who was also walking her dog, was attacked in a wooded area of the park. A man hit her with the branch of a tree, cutting her head and causing her to lose consciousness. He tried to pull her clothes off.

ABC7NY reports that another park-goer found the woman’s dog without its owner, and when they approached it, saw the victim come out of the woods. She said she may have been sexually assaulted. The woman was taken to Harlem Hospital for treatment, according to police.

All three reports described the alleged assailant as being a Hispanic man, 5’10 to 6’ tall, of slim build and with short hair. He was wearing a t shirt, shorts and a disposable face mask.

Other visitors to Inwood Park said they were shocked by the violent events that day.

“I’m speechless, especially in the daytime,” one woman told the New York Post. “I never heard such a thing, I’m in shock.”