By JAMIE SCHRAM, REUVEN FENTON and ANDY GELLER
June 24, 2008
A serial fondler terrorized the Upper East Side last week, grabbing the breasts of eight women before groping a 5-year-old girl, authorities said yesterday.
In the space of less than half an hour last Tuesday, Joseph Martin, 26, of The Bronx, assaulted eight women, 24 to 84, along Park Avenue, authorities said.
He was busted when cops saw him assaulting his last victims, a woman and her 5-year-old daughter, authorities said.
Martin, 26, was indicted yesterday on counts of sexual abuse and forcible touching. He's free on $2,500 bail.
The attacks provoked shock and outrage on the tony strip where they occurred, between East 88th and 96th streets.
"I'm shocked that he managed to get so many people before he was caught," said Linda Warren, 35, a nurse. "But, hey, this is New York. Bad things happen."
The assaults began at 4:14 p.m., when Martin grabbed a woman at 88th Street, court papers and law-enforcement sources said.
He then continued up Park Avenue, fondling seven more women, the papers said.
Victims and passers-by called 911 and cops arrived as Martin was assaulting his final victims - the eighth woman and her daughter - at 96th Street and Park Avenue, the sources said.
Martin allegedly broke into a run, with the cops in pursuit.
On upper Park Avenue yesterday, Anne Novick, 49, said the attacks frightened her because she has a 15-year-old daughter.
"Just because it's Park Avenue doesn't mean bad people can't come here," she said.
