Suspect in Rape Attempt Identified From His Comedy Videos On YouTube
A man, whose brazen attempted assault of a woman in Queens, New York was captured by a surveillance camera, was arrested a day later after he got recognized through the comedy videos he posted on YouTube.
Identified as 34-year-old Christopher Prusa, the suspect followed and tried to grab a woman near her home around 4:00 a.m. Friday, New York Post reports.
Based on court documents, the woman, Judy Liang, was on her way home when Prusa, a man she had never met, suddenly tried to get her attention by saying, “Hey, can I talk to you?”
Ignoring the stranger, the woman kept walking home but as she was unlocking the door to her apartment building, she was shocked to find that Prusa had followed her and suddenly grabbed her arm.
Prusa told her to “Chill out” but she fought him off and was able to run to safety.
“He was trying to reach and grab my arm. And then as I tried to flee from him, he tried to come at me and tried to grab me again. I ran and I screamed. That was my first response because usually I have pepper spray or something, but I also like to travel, so I didn’t have the pepper spray on me at that moment,” the 21-year-old victim told CBS New York.
“It happened in front of my house, so obviously I’m very worried because he knows where I live. You never know when he can come and attack me again.”
Prusa immediately fled the scene after the woman got away, police said.
Liang, who was not physically injured from the assault, reported the crime at the 108th Precinct.
After the surveillance video was released to the public, multiple people recognized Prusa from comedy videos he posted online and reported him to the authorities.
Investigators later found that Prusa was selling a used car on Craigslist so they contacted him and posed as potential buyers. Prusa was soon arrested after showing up to make the sale on Saturday night.
He has since been charged with first-degree attempted rape, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, attempted assault, fourth-degree stalking, second-degree harassment, sexual abuse, possession of cocaine and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Prusa, who was a former high school teacher in Florida, moved to New York in June 2017 to pursue a career in comedy, according to his Facebook page.
He is currently being held on $5,000 bond at the Vernon C. Bain Center, awaiting his next appearance at Queens Criminal Court scheduled for August 17.
Featured image via (left) Facebook/Christopher Prusa and (right) YouTube/CBS New York
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