NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Queens man was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday after allegedly attacking two women inside two separate apartment building elevators last year.
Ralph Toro, 62, was charged with attempted robbery, sexual abuse, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing in connection with the Dec.
17 incidents.
According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Toro first attacked a 28-year-old woman inside an elevator in an apartment building on 75th Street in Forest Hills around 11 a.m.
In that incident, the woman was riding the elevator with Toro when the doors opened, and he moved to leave. Instead of exiting, however, he turned back and displayed a knife, demanding money from the woman.
Toro then allegedly reached into her jacket pockets, which allowed the victim to shove him away so that she could escape.
Katz said the second incident happened in a similar manner around noon that same day in an apartment building nearby on 108th Street.
In that incident, Toro allegedly followed a 51-year-old woman into the elevator and immediately pulled out a knife before demanding cash.
The victim said she had no cash and emptied her purse onto the elevator floor.
Toro is then accused of reaching into the woman’s pants, while still holding the knife, and sexually assaulting her. The victim continued to fight him off until he fled the scene, according to authorities.
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"The defendant is accused of committing two separate, terrifying elevator attacks – approximately an hour apart, on the same day – inside different Forest Hills’ apartment buildings,” Katz said in a statement. “As alleged, the defendant waited for the women to be alone and in a confined space to pull out a knife and attack them.”
Toro was arrested after investigators were able to use surveillance footage to track his movements to a shelter, which was located less than one mile from where the second attack occurred.
Upon his arrest, authorities announced Toro is a level 3 sex offender who had paroled in February 2021, after serving 35-years in prison
Toro has now been ordered to return to court on March 3. If convicted, he faces up to 16 years-to-life in prison.
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