Man charged with trying to rape 82-year-old woman in the Bronx, cops say

A Bronx man has been charged with trying to rape an 82-year-old woman inside her home last month, the NYPD announced Friday afternoon.

Ernesto Mateo, 34, is accused of following the woman into her Melrose area home, near Courtlandt Avenue and East 150 Street, on Sept. 21 at about 5 p.m.

He then threw her to the ground, forcibly took off her clothes and tried to rape her, police said. He then fled the scene, heading west on East 150th Street toward Morris Avenue, according to police.

Police had released surveillance images of Mateo on Wednesday and he was arrested around 11 p.m. on Thursday.

Mateo was charged with attempted rape and sexual abuse, police said.