Upper East Side women can breathe a little bit easier: A suspect who police believe to be the same man who terrorized them for months is finally behind bars.
Police said they have arrested the man who allegedly attacked 12 women on the Upper East Side. The first attack happened in January, but the most recent was last Friday in Central Park.
Cops said Jose Alfredo Perez Hernandez, 18, was arrested Monday after a building superintendent tipped them off. The super reportedly recognized Hernandez after seeing a photo that resembled him in a newspaper.
Hernandez worked as a dishwasher at Antonucci Cafe in the building he maintained on East 81st Street, the super told police.
Police then tracked his cell-phone number to a Queens apartment.
Restaurant workers at Antonucci confirmed to Metro that Hernandez worked alongside them for about six months before leaving a few weeks ago.
“Everyone loved him,” a waiter told Metro. “He’s the sweetest kid we have here.”
For months, a 4-foot-11 man targeted women uptown, sneaking up behind them and groping them. Dubbed the “puny perv,” he created fear among female walkers and joggers.
Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter @AlisonatMetro.
