Ring video captures screams for help as Newburgh woman says man strangled her in bathroom

LocalCrimeWeatherPoliticsFair or Mostly Sunny73°LIVELocalCrimeWeatherPoliticsRing video captures screams for help as Newburgh woman says man strangled her in bathroomVictim’s daughter says she used a kitchen knife to help fight the attacker off; suspect released without bail.Blaise Gomez

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Ring home surveillance video provided to News 12 shows what appears to begin as a casual conversation between the suspect and the victim at her door around 6:49 p.m. The victim, Holly Mousseau, 52, says the man was the boyfriend of one of her longtime friends.

“That’s why I let him in,” Mousseau said.

Mousseau says the two casually spoke at her door before the man asked to use her bathroom. Once inside, she alleges he pushed her into the bathroom, shut the door and began strangling her as she fought back and screamed for help.

“He’s choking harder and harder, and it’s getting harder for me to breathe,” Mousseau said.

City of Newburgh police identified the man as Mark Adams, 41.

In a statement released Wednesday, police said Adams asked to use the restroom and then requested help with the toilet. Police say that when Mousseau entered the bathroom, Adams closed the door, confined her inside and assaulted her by applying pressure to her neck and slamming her against a wall multiple times.

Her 19-year-old daughter, Rowan Mousseau, says she and a male friend were upstairs painting her bedroom when she heard screaming and went downstairs to the bathroom to check on her mom.

“I’m trying to open the door. It’s not locked and it was like someone was standing in front of it,” Rowan said.

Ring video from outside the house on East Parmenter Street captures audio of the escalating commotion inside. By about 6:53 p.m., Rowan can be heard screaming “Mom!” and repeatedly calling for help. A next-door neighbor then runs over as Rowan’s friend tries to explain what is happening inside.

Rowan says she eventually managed to force the bathroom door partly open and saw a man inside.

“I just grabbed a kitchen knife and I jammed my leg in the door and I just started — I didn’t even know what I was hitting. I just started stabbing him,” she said.

Police say Rowan’s actions in self-defense ultimately freed Mousseau.

The surveillance video shows Adams running out of the home as Rowan follows him outside, yelling at him to get away. Mousseau can then be seen slumping down near the sidewalk, visibly upset, while Rowan’s friend calls 911.

Mousseau says she believes the attack was sexual in nature.

“He was going to rape me. The way he was choking me — I think he would’ve killed me,” she said.

No sex offense has been charged in the case at this point.

Police say Adams fled before officers arrived. Authorities canvassed the surrounding area and, with help from an anonymous caller, located him near Liberty Street and Gidney Avenue about an hour later.

Mousseau says a friend located him and contacted police.

Adams was charged with four misdemeanors: two counts of criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, third-degree assault and second-degree unlawful imprisonment. According to the criminal complaint, Adams is accused of shoving Mousseau into the bathroom to prevent her from leaving, pushing her into a wall and covering her mouth and nose to prevent her from breathing.

Police say Adams was held overnight and brought to Newburgh City Court for arraignment on Wednesday. He was then released by the court under New York’s bail laws.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office says the charges are not bail eligible under current state law. Prosecutors told News 12 that before bail reform, a judge could likely have set bail in a case involving these charges.

Kellyann Kostyal-Larrier, director of Fearless! Hudson Valley, says courts should be able to consider the circumstances of each case and the potential risk to a survivor when release decisions are made.

“I do think that our conversations have to move beyond simply asking if someone is technically eligible for bail and assessing risk to the survivor when a decision is made,” Kostyal-Larrier said.

A full stay-away order of protection was issued. Adams is due back in Newburgh City Court on Oct. 21.

Mousseau says his release has left her afraid in her own home.

“I’m not sleeping well. I’m sleeping on the couch with the lights on. I’m not comfortable,” she said.

She also questioned why the allegations resulted only in misdemeanor charges.

“How is that a misdemeanor charge? If you’re trying to choke someone, I don’t understand that,” Mousseau said. “It makes no sense to me.”

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