Arrest made after woman is sexually assaulted by machete-wielding man, NH police say

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Manchester Police say they’ve arrested a 24-year-old man in connection with a sexual assault reported earlier Friday.

Jose Polanco Diaz of Manchester was charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault, burglary, and criminal threatening, all of which are felonies, police said.

A woman ran from her apartment after waking up to a man with a machete sexually assaulting her Friday morning, according to Manchester, N.H. police.

Police say the assault was called in by the woman’s boyfriend, who told them she has woken up around 9 a.m. to find a man assaulting her. Police say the woman was able to get away and run from her Auburn Street apartment.

Surveillance video captured the suspect leaving the area. Through their investigation, police said they were able to make contact with Diaz and he was taken into custody.

Police described how the woman escaped from her attacker.

“She was able to struggle with him and get off of her, and she escaped the apartment,” said Heather Hamel, with the Manchester New Hampshire Police Dept.

“I saw about 14 police cars here. They stood around for an hour and then they burst in the door using a ram,” said one witness.

Another neighbor said: “They just asked me [for his shirt], they are looking for his shirt, they were checking the garbage.”

Police went door to door notifying neighbors about what happened.

“This was a complete stranger to the woman and boyfriend, because of that this makes it a random crime and it’s extremely troubling to us here at the Manchester police department,” said Hamel.

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