Hollywood magician and performance artist, David Blaine is the latest celebrity being investigated by the New York Police Department for allegedly assaulting two women sexually. This was confirmed by the NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea on Monday.
According to The daily beast who reported the news, said NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said during a press conference on Monday, that “there is an active investigation” into complaints against Blaine by the department’s Special Victims Unit (SVU).
The Daily Beast also reported that a senior NYPD official with knowledge of the probe told SVU detectives took statements from the alleged two women. At least one of the claims may fall outside the statute of limitations: a woman told detectives she was sexually assaulted by Blaine inside his Manhattan apartment in 1998, according to a person familiar with her complaint.
Asked if police were seeking to interview Blaine or had reached out to him, Shea said, “no comment.”
“The NYPD takes sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously,” Chief Spokesman Phil Walzak said in a statement, “and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors.”
Former model Natasha Prince alleged Blaine raped her in London in 2004, an allegation Blaine denied. Scotland Yard detectives took Prince’s statement and later said they declined to take further action after investigating her claim.
Blaine, 45, made a name for himself 20 years ago when he was buried in a coffin underground without food or water for seven days. He made international headlines in 2003 when he remained suspended 30 feet in the air in a transparent, plexiglass case for more than 40 days in London.
He is scheduled to begin a tour of the UK and Ireland in June.