26-year-old woman attacked in Woodlawn

A woman was attacked in Woodlawn early Saturday morning.

According to police, it happened around 1:30 a.m. at the corner of E 235th Street and Vireo Avenue.

Surveillance footage obtained exclusively by News 12 shows a man coming up from behind the woman, putting his arms around her neck and wrestling her to the ground. The woman was able to fight the man off before he ran away.

Community members told News 12 they believe the man attempted to sexually assault the woman.

Neighbors report that people left their homes to help the woman when her loud screams caught the attention of the community.

According to witnesses, she was visiting New York and before the man attacked her, he approached her and asked for a lighter.

The Woodlawn community is concerned for their safety and wants a stronger police presence to prevent something like this from happening again.

Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.