A man arrested in connection with a violent attempted rape in Hell’s Kitchen is now being held without bail at Rikers Island. Anthony Smith, 37, was arraigned this week on three felony charges stemming from an early morning attack near W47th Street and 8th Avenue on Sunday, August 10.
According to police and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the 21-year-old victim was walking alone to the train around 3:30am when Smith allegedly came up from behind and put her in a chokehold. Prosecutors say he squeezed her neck and throat so tightly that she lost consciousness within seconds. When she regained consciousness, she found herself lying on her back with Smith crouched beside her, allegedly placing his hand under her shorts and underwear and touching her vagina.
Police say Smith fled westbound, but the entire attack was captured on video surveillance — which also reportedly shows him in the area for nearly an hour beforehand, following several women and at times putting his hand inside his own shorts. Multiple people, including his parole officer and Department of Correction employees, identified Smith from the footage.
The assault comes amid a troubling trend in Hell’s Kitchen’s Midtown North Precinct, where reported rapes have jumped more than 300% so far this year — a spike far above the citywide increase of 22%. According to NYPD CompStat data, Midtown North has logged 25 reported rapes in 2025 compared to just six in the same period last year. The only Manhattan precinct with more reported rapes is Midtown South, but its year-over-year increase is much smaller at 37%. Officials say a 2024 change in New York’s legal definition of rape — expanding the law to cover a wider range of nonconsensual acts — is one factor behind the rise, but no clear explanation has emerged for why Midtown North’s numbers have surged nearly four times the citywide average.
Prosecutors detailed a lengthy and violent criminal record for Smith dating back nearly two decades. His first convictions, in 2006, included Robbery in the First Degree, Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree while displaying what appeared to be a firearm, and Criminal Sale of a Narcotic. He served multiple prison terms, and just seven months after his 2011 release, he was convicted again of Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree, receiving a six-year sentence. In 2013, while incarcerated, he was convicted of Knowingly Making or Possessing Contraband in Prison. Smith was released in March 2021 and remained on parole until three months ago. He also has multiple recent arrests in New Jersey and a history of being involuntarily returned on warrants, with prosecutors arguing that he has “displayed either an inability to or disinterest in following the law.”…