Brooklyn Woman Says She Was Raped on Beach — As Onlookers Stood By and Recorded

A Brooklyn woman claims she was raped on the beach at Coney Island as Fourth of July celebrations dwindled — and the NYPD confirms to PEOPLE it is investigating the alleged incident. 

Melasia Harris told CBS New York that she was with a group of people she had just met at the beach early Saturday, July 5, when a man, whom she says had a “scar on his lip” and a book bag, forcibly performed oral sex on her.

“He saw that I was on the floor and that’s when he put his face between my legs, and I started screaming and everyone started laughing and recording me,” she claimed to the news station. “Nobody helped. Nobody stopped.”

Harris further alleged that the man followed her to another area, where he raped her.

“I was just really scared and then I was like screaming for help,” she told CBS New York.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.         

In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, July 10, the NYPD said they received a report of a rape that allegedly happened around 3 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, at the corner of Boardwalk West and Stillwell Avenue.

“A 25 year-old female was alone when she met a group of 15 individuals and was hanging out with them when one of them, a male, sexually assault[ed] her,” the police statement read.

The NYPD said there have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.

Harris added to News 12 Brooklyn, “I don’t feel good. How does anybody feel good knowing there’s a person like this walking around?”