Residents are awaiting federally funded camera improvements after a delivery woman was attacked at the Staten Island housing development.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A violent attack on a woman making a delivery at the Berry Houses has put new attention on security at the Staten Island public housing development, where $1 million in federal funding was announced weeks earlier for expanded surveillance cameras.
The 37-year-old woman was delivering a package of hair products Wednesday evening when she was struck in the face with a firearm and sexually assaulted near Dongan Hills Avenue and Jefferson Street. She was taken to a hospital in stable condition. The attacker fled, and no arrest had been announced as of Saturday.
The assault occurred less than a month after Rep. Nicole Malliotakis announced federal funding for closed-circuit television upgrades throughout Berry Houses. The money, part of the fiscal 2026 appropriations process, is intended to support cameras in building lobbies, on building exteriors and inside elevators.
The planned project may also replace aging security equipment, address older infrastructure and make electrical upgrades needed to support the surveillance system. The New York City Housing Authority has described the cameras as a tool intended to strengthen security and assist property management and law enforcement.
There was no indication that the newly funded upgrades had been completed before Wednesday’s attack. Authorities also have not publicly said whether existing cameras recorded the assault or captured images that could help identify the person being sought. The funding announcement preceded the crime and was not made in response to it.
Resident Niesha Sosa said the victim had been bringing a package to her apartment when the attack occurred. Sosa told ABC7 New York that she heard a thump while traveling in the elevator and later realized how close she had been to the scene. She said the experience left her thinking about how easily she could have crossed paths with the attacker.
Sosa and other residents have called for cameras in the building, highlighting a concern that extends beyond the individual case. Apartment entrances, hallways and elevators are shared spaces used not only by residents but also by delivery workers, maintenance employees, visitors and other people conducting business inside the development.
The federal funding announced Aug. 18 is intended to modernize surveillance coverage at Berry Houses. Malliotakis said at the time that the improvements were meant to provide residents with greater security and give law enforcement another resource. NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt similarly said upgraded cameras could support public safety efforts at the development.
Wednesday’s assault has added urgency to those concerns but has not established whether additional cameras could have prevented the attack. Surveillance systems can provide investigators with evidence after an incident, but authorities had not disclosed what evidence, if any, had been recovered in this case.
Police had not released the suspect’s identity or a public description in the initial report. The victim’s name also has not been made public. Investigators continued searching for the attacker Saturday as Berry Houses residents awaited the planned security improvements.
Author note: Last updated September 12, 2026.