Subway sicko is sought on rape try

A subway predator struck up a conversation with a woman he met on the F train, then tried to rape her after she left a downtown Manhattan subway station, cops said Tuesday.

The would-be rapist started talking with the 25-year-old victim about 9 p.m. Saturday as they rode a train from Brooklyn to Manhattan.

They left the train at the same time at Chambers St. and he followed her as she walked, cops said.

When they got to Franklin St., between Church St. and Broadway, he shoved her into the vestibule of a building and tried to remove her clothes and rape her, cops said.

She fought him off and he ran off, cops said.

Police released surveillance photos and video of the man Tuesday, and ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

ALBANY — A majority of New Yorkers believe Gov. Cuomo bungled the state’s handling of nursing homes during the COVID pandemic, but most don’t believe he did anything illegal, according to a Marist Poll released on Tuesday. The survey, conducted as the governor faces political fallout and a federal probe into the state’s nursing home deaths, found 61% of Empire State residents believe Cuomo did something wrong in managing elder care facilities over the past year, while 39% said he didn’t. But most don’t believe he did anything illegal. Separately, the poll found 41% of adults feel that the governor may have acted unethically while another 19% believe he did something illegal and 27% said he did nothing wrong.

The poll, which also found only 49% of New Yorkers approve of Cuomo’s job performance, down from 66% in July, comes amid mounting criticism and accusations of a coverup over the state’s counting of nursing home deaths and the stonewalling of requests for an accurate tally from lawmakers, reporters and watchdog groups.

The scandal has swelled in recent weeks, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle calling for oversight hearings, impeachment and weighing how to strip the governor of his emergency executive authority. It comes after Cuomo enjoyed soaring popularity at the height of the pandemic with a nationwide audience tuning in to watch his daily briefings.

“Cuomo’s approval rating, which was sky-high in the summer, has returned to its prepandemic level,” said Marist College pollster Lee Miringoff.

“Should Cuomo decide to seek a fourth term, these results suggest it will be a challenge.”