81-year-old NYC woman has jaw broken in attack by sex offender
NEW YORK - An elderly woman was choked and punched unconscious in a brutal attack by a neighbor who is a convicted sex offender, the NYPD says.
The Crown Heights woman was sleeping around 1 a.m. on Tuesday when she heard a noise coming from her living room. Police say that she came across her upstairs neighbor.
He was identified as 50-year-old Thomas Johnson.
At a Wednesday news conference, NYPD Chief of Detective James Essig said that he choked and punched her, breaking her jaw as she passed out.
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New York City Police quickly identified Johnson as a suspect in the attack. They allegedly found his bloody clothes from the attack in his apartment.
Essig says that Johnson has a lengthy rap sheet, including serving time for a sexual attack on a child. He also has been arrested in the past for attempted murder and petty larceny.
Johnson faces assault, strangulation, and burglary charges in connection with this latest incident.