STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The NYPD is investigating a report of a rape inside an elevator after hours at a shopping center in St. George. A rape occurred on Saturday, April 19, at about 2 a.m. at 55 Richmond Terrace, according to a spokesperson for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. The Empire Outlets shopping mall is located at the address supplied by police. The mall is located just steps from the St. George Ferry Terminal, which serves riders of the Staten Island Ferry and the Staten Island Railway. A woman was inside an elevator at the location when an unknown individual allegedly raped her before that individual fled in an unknown direction, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. The NYPD did not provide further details about the reported encounter or specify which elevator the alleged incident occurred in. A detailed description for the suspect is not available from police at this time. No arrests have been made and the investigation continues, according to a police spokesperson. “The safety of our shoppers and employees is our top priority,” said a statement from Empire Outlets. “We are working closely with the local police as they investigate the matter. As the investigation is ongoing, we will refer all further questions to the Staten Island police department.”
Employee reaction
Employees who work at Empire Outlets stores discussed the late-night environment with an Advance/SILive.com reporter on Wednesday. “I work here at the outlet, like six days a week, and I leave late at night because I close the store,” said Imani, who requested her last name be withheld from publication. “And me and my other female associates take the elevator quite often to get to the buses and clearly that’s going to be an issue.” Imani noted that no stores are open in the hours in which the reported rape took place. However, she explained that there are sometimes individuals who appear to be experiencing homelessness and others who wander around the outlets in the late hours. The outlets are home to at least five elevators, some of which connect to the parking garage. An employee at another store who did not wish to share their name, explained that all businesses have an app that can directly contact security at Empire Outlets. Several security guards were spotted at the outdoor shopping mall Wednesday afternoon, along with an NYPD officer stationed on the third level. At least a couple of the elevators were equipped with cameras. “Our company is big on a buddy system,” Jacob Chevres, a store manager at GUESS in Empire Outlets, said. “So when we close, nobody should be leaving late by themselves. We normally leave together and if you’re going to your car late at night or into the parking lot, we try to go together in a group. We try to do that, but even more so we’re going to have to plan a little better now knowing that information, that is very scary.” During a visit after hours around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, an Advance/SILive.com reporter found the center nearly empty, with just a person or two walking about. The stores were locked up, some dark, some still lit. There was no security or police presence visible during the time the reporter was there. The outlets are located across the street from the NYPD’s 120th Precinct stationhouse.
Disturbing incident on train
The alleged rape was the second disturbing incident reported in less than 24 hours in the vicinity of the major transit hub in St. George.
A man inappropriately touched himself in front of a woman on a Staten Island Railway train in St. George, according to police. The disturbing incident occurred on a train in the vicinity of the St. George Ferry Terminal at Bay Street and Richmond Terrace on April 18 around 5 a.m., according to an NYPD spokesperson. A 23-year-old woman was on a Tottenville-bound train when an unknown individual masturbated in front of her, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
