A former patient of a New York City doctor accused of drugging and raping countless women has revealed she has become “too scared” to visit a hospital again.
The woman, 19, told ABC7 through a translator that Zhi Alan Cheng, 33, injected her with a drug in 2021 that caused her to fall unconscious in the pediatric ward of New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital.
“I don’t remember anything else until I woke up,” she said. “I had terrible pain in my body and my legs. Everywhere.’
Police say they discovered during their investigation that Cheng filmed himself carrying out some of the attacks, with the unknown victim boldly speaking out among the women he allegedly filmed.
Her lawyer, Nicholas Liakas, said the hospital does not know what drug she was given, adding that the symptoms she woke up with were “highly indicative” of the seizures Cheng is accused of.
Cheng appeared in court in Queens on Tuesday on charges of 50 criminal counts, with his alleged crimes discovered by an ex-girlfriend who was among the depraved videos in December.
Zhi Alan Cheng, 33, is accused of drugging and raping women in NewYork-Presbyterian Queens where he worked, as well as at his home
The disgraced doctor’s ex-patient said that despite the agonizing pain she woke up with, she wasn’t sure if she had been raped until she saw Cheng’s arrest on the news.
“I’m too scared to go to the doctor right now,” she added. ‘I do not want to go. I hope God doesn’t make me sick again.”
Cheng, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, is accused of sexually assaulting three women at his Queens home and three patients – including the 19-year-old, who had gone to his hospital the day before she was due to get her gallbladder. DELETED.
After the alleged attack, she and her mother said they notified hospital officials, who took the allegation seriously by reviewing surveillance camera footage and key card access.
Despite organizing a lineup at the hospital in which she reportedly saw Cheng identify, Laikas said the hospital’s investigation was stalled and he planned to file a lawsuit against the hospital over his client’s ordeal.
The 19-year-old is one of six women filmed by Cheng, prosecutors said, but authorities fear the number will continue to rise as the investigation continues.
Cheng was originally charged with rape in December 2022 after a former girlfriend accused him of using a K-N95 mask filled with liquid-soaked cotton balls to knock her out, rape and film her.
His home was raided after the alleged attack, where investigators found a hoard of drugs, including fentanyl, ketamine, LSD and various anesthetics typically used in surgery.
Police also found devices with dozens of other recordings in his home, with his alleged crimes believed to date back to 2021.
Following the arrest, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called on other potential victims to contact her office if they believe they too have been targeted by Cheng.
“The accumulated evidence gathered paints the picture of a sexual predator of the absolute worst kind, a serial rapist, one willing to violate not only his sacred professional oath and the trust of his patients, but every standard of human decency,” he said. she. .
“We will present the facts to a jury and bring justice to the victims of the horrific attacks captured on video.”
The victim’s lawyer, Nicholas Liakas, said the symptoms she woke up with were “highly indicative” of the assaults Cheng is accused of
New York’s Presbyterian Queens Hospital condemned Cheng’s alleged crimes as “heinous, despicable and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and the trust of our patients”
Cheng reportedly targeted a number of women while under his care at Queens Hospital, including a 37-year-old patient who he is accused of filming herself lying unconscious in 2021.
A short time later, prosecutors said, he raped a woman he had met on a dating app, and also filmed the attack.
In the video, a small brown bottle was visible on his bed, according to authorities, who said they recovered a similar bottle from his apartment that contained a powerful anesthetic.
Cheng faces 50 criminal cases after being indicted by a grand jury.
He is charged with 10 counts of predatory assault, three counts of first-degree rape, seven counts of first-degree sexual assault, four counts of second-degree assault, and three counts of criminal sex acts in the first degree. .
The doctor is also charged with 11 counts of second-degree unlawful surveillance, eight counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
He also faced further charges following his arrest in December 2022.
Queens prosecutor Melissa Katz urged more women to come forward if they believe they have been victimized by Cheng
In a statement following this week’s harrowing allegations, New York-Presbyterian said in a statement, “The crimes committed by this individual are heinous, despicable, and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and the trust of our patients.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by what these victims and their families have endured.”
The hospital said Cheng was discharged six months ago after the New York Presbyterian learned of the rape charge.
“In December 2022, as soon as the prosecutor informed us of allegations of sexual abuse against this individual, he was immediately suspended, banned from hospital property and discharged,” the hospital said.
“We have fully cooperated with the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the NYPD and the NYS Department of Health.”
Cheng’s attorney, Jeffrey Einhorn, said Monday it was “too early” to comment on the case.
Cheng pleaded not guilty and is being held at Rikers Island.