A woman in New York City was strangled with a belt in a horrific attack earlier this month -- which rendered her unconscious and left her vulnerable to be sexually assaulted.
The attack happened about a week ago in the Big Apple, and it's on video. You see a woman walking down a street at night, when a man wearing a white face-covering sneaks up behind her, tosses the looped belt over her head and tightens it around her neck.
By the time the woman realizes what's happening, it's too late ... and the man's dragging her with the belt down the sidewalk as she gasps for air. Eventually, she goes limp -- and he pulls her in between two cars, seemingly manipulating her body before the video cuts out.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the attack occurred in Mott Haven -- a neighborhood in the Bronx -- at about 3 AM on May 1. We're told the man choked her until she was unconscious, and proceeded to sexually assault the woman before fleeing the scene.
Cops eventually responded and our sources say the woman was transported to a hospital. Thankfully, we're told she survived this ordeal -- but we can only imagine the trauma.
This represents another example of violence against women in the city that's seemingly widespread at this point. Remember ... we told you back in March about multiple attacks in which men came up to women and punched them in the face for no apparent reason.