New York Daily News

David Blaine denies sex accusation­s

- BY JOE ERWIN

David Blaine is innocent of sexual assault allegation­s, his publicist said Tuesday.

The magician and endurance artist is facing an NYPD sexual assault investigat­ion based on claims by at least two women, but his mouthpiece contends he’s clean.

“David denies the accusation­s that have been reported, and he takes these allegation­s seriously,” the statement from Blaine’s publicist said. “He intends to cooperate with any investigat­ion.”

The Brooklyn-born Blaine (photo), who turns 46 on Thursday, allegedly assaulted one woman in his Manhattan apartment in 1997 and another in 1998, police sources said. One woman made her accusation a year ago, and the other contacted cops last week.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea — who on Monday said the department was “aware of the allegation­s” — declined to elaborate on Blaine’s case at an unrelated news conference on Tuesday. He would not say whether the NYPD is seeking to interview the master illusionis­t, although he confirmed Monday there is an active special victims investigat­ion.

The Daily Beast, which first reported the story, had previously reported that a former model alleged Blaine raped her in London in 2004, an allegation he denied. Scotland Yard detectives later declined to take further action after investigat­ing her claim, the news website said.

Blaine gained fame in 1999 when he was buried undergroun­d in a plastic coffin in Manhattan for a week. A year later, he tried to stay in a large block of ice in Times Square for 72 hours, but had to be removed after nearly 64 hours due to fears he might be going into shock.

He has a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland scheduled in June.

“Excited to finally bring my show to the UK and Ireland!” he tweeted on March 25.

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