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Ahmed Alzakaria, age 51, of the Bronx, pleaded guilty this week to driving a female passenger from Manhattan to a secluded area in Westchester County and forcing himself on her.
Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said that at approximately 11 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2019, Alzakaria was working as a Lyft driver when he picked up a woman in Manhattan and offered to show her the sights of New York City during the ride.
The woman, who was a foreign student, agreed and moved to the front seat at his behest.
Rocah said that Alzakaria drove out of Manhattan to a secluded parking lot in the southern region of Westchester County, and despite the woman expressing discomfort, parked the car, placed his hand on her thigh and forced his tongue in her mouth.
The woman struggled to get Alzakaria to stop and repeatedly asked him to drive her home, Rocah said. Instead, Alzakaria tried to engage her in a sexual conversation and attempted to get the woman to lay down in the back seat.
According to Rocah, when the woman refused, Alzakaria drove the woman back to Manhattan, but continued to harass her during the drive. Once the ride was over, Alzakaria demanded the woman not report what happened.
Following an investigation, Alzakaria was arrested by the Westchester County Department of Public Safety on Dec. 3, 2019, and charged with first-degree attempted sexual abuse.
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