FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - An Airbnb housekeeper in Fort Lauderdale is demanding reforms and taking legal action after, she said, she was sexually assaulted by an intruder.
Speaking with 7News in Spanish Wednesday, the woman, who does not want to be identified, said the incident happened after guests checked out of an Airbnb in August of last year.
“On August 28, my life changed forever. I was only doing my job,” she said in Spanish.
The woman saidwas assigned to clean the home, so she arrived and began her work. As she was listening to music, believing she was safe, she said an intruder broke into the home and violently attacked and assaulted her from behind.
Fort Lauderdale Police responded to the home, located along the 500 block of Southeast 19th Street, and discovered the woman restrained and suffering from visible injuries.
Paramedics with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue transported the woman to Broward Health Medical Center.
“Her sense of safety in her workplace and in her community has been shattered,” her attorney said.
According to detectives, the intruder threw her to the ground and brandished a knife and zip ties to restrain her. Then, he sexually assaulted her.
“I never wished to be here, I never wished for this to have happened to me, but today, I am here to talk, not only for me, but for those other women that have been silenced before,” she said.
Officials said this was not an isolated incident, as the same property has seen two separate instances of crime prior to this assault.
Approximately one month before this woman’s incident, an Airbnb customer reported that their laptop had been stolen while they were staying at the property.
In addition, on Aug. 21, 2024, an unidentified man broke in through a window, locked himself in the unit and had to be removed by police after guests found him lying in their bed.
At least one formal complaint discussing the lack of safety at the property was levied against the company on the Airbnb website by another person.
“While she was doing her job, while she was cleaning, an intruder broke into this Airbnb and violently attacked her and raped her,” the victim’s attorney said.
Detectives said suspects involved in the two prior incidents have been ruled out as the suspects in the sexual assault case.
Now the victim and her legal team have publicly filed a lawsuit against the company and the property owners, claiming they failed to implement the necessary security measures to keep her and other workers safe.
“It’s difficult to talk about this, it’s hurtful. I live with this trauma, this fear. The rape replays every day, but I refuse to have what happened to me be ignored,” she said.
The victim is now seeking the public’s help in identifying the subject.
Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Airbnb issued a statement. It reads:
“We take the safety of our community seriously. We are investigating the incident reported and have suspended the listing from the platform during that time.”
As of late Wednesday afternoon, no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
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