Man Caught Trying to Rape Young Drunk Woman in Union Square Park: NYPD

UNION SQUARE, NY — Nelis Calix, 39, was caught with his pants down in Union Square Park early Sunday morning by witnesses who said he was trying to rape a woman under a blanket, according to the NYPD.

Police arrested Calix as he tried to flee around 1:45 a.m. and charged him with attempted rape.

Witnesses told police they observed Calix standing over a woman who lying down on the sidewalk under a blanket on the northwest corner of Union Square Park, near 17th Street. He had his pants pulled down, they said, and was lifting the blanket that was covering the woman. They said they heard her yell "No!" multiple times.

The horrified onlookers then called the police, who apprehended the man.

The victim, age 23, later told police she didn't know how she had ended up on the street. She said she had been out drinking earlier, and could not remember the events of the night. She woke up to a strange man standing over her with his pants down, and started screaming for help, she said.

According to public records, Calix is being held on Rikers Island under $50,000 bail. He is due back in court on Friday Dec. 23.

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