Man charged in two attempted rapes in Oakland

A 23- year- old maintenance man already charged with attempting to rape a woman in Oakland is now accused of attacking a second woman in the neighborhood early Tuesday.

Eric Hernandez, of South Oakland, faces charges of attempted rape, false imprisonment, assault and related counts in connection with alleged attacks July 11 and Tuesday.

On July 11, a woman told police that she was attacked in her apartment on Craig Street about 3 p. m. after a property manager hired a man she identified as Mr. Hernandez to fix her air conditioner.

The woman told officers that he came into her apartment and locked the door, which made her “immediately uncomfortable,” according to a criminal complaint. She unlocked the door and told him not to lock it, she told police.

The woman said Mr. Hernandez then asked her to get his backpack, and when she moved to pick it up, he threw her to the floor, pulled a knife and threatened to kill her.

He said he wanted to rape her, according to the criminal complaint. The woman broke free and ran. Mr. Hernandez chased her and grabbed her shirt, ripping it from her body, according to the complaint. The woman kept running and went next door to a pizza shop, where she summoned help.

Mr. Hernandez was not arrested, however, until Tuesday, after police believe he attacked a second woman on O’Hara Street.

She told police she was walking home about 3: 40 a. m. when she realized a man was following her. She then walked toward a guard station at Nordenberg Hall, a University of Pittsburgh dormitory, but the man grabbed her and put a hard black object into her ribs, according to a criminal complaint.

He dragged her across the street and threw her to the ground. He told her he wanted to rape her, but she broke free and ran to the guard station.

Both women identified Mr. Hernandez from a photo lineup as the man who attacked them. He was being held in the Allegheny County Jail.