THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — A Long Island man allegedly strangled and sexually abused a woman while trapping her in her Bronx apartment last month, authorities said Wednesday.
Herman Brightman, aka Nazir, 30, and the woman met on the Hinge app and dated for a month before the woman broke it off, leading to the violent encounter on Sept. 28, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
Brightman allegedly beat and strangled the victim after they got into a fight in her Parkchester apartment at around 9 p.m., prosecutors said.
Brightman wouldn’t let the woman leave the apartment and allegedly assaulted and sexually abused her before she reached out to her best friend, authorities said. The friend then called 911 and went to the apartment to help the woman escape.
“The defendant and the victim had dated for about a month, and when she told him the relationship was over, he allegedly refused to let her leave, assaulted her and strangled her. She endured a nightmare,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said.
Brightman, a Central Islip resident, was charged with sexual abuse, forcible touching, strangulation, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and criminal mischief, authorities said.
He pleaded not guilty during his arrangement on Tuesday, according to court records. He is due back in court in January.
“This is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we urge everyone to be vigilant about intimate partner violence and use caution on dating apps,” Clark said.