Two women have accused celebrity magician David Blaine of sexual assault, the New York Police Department has confirmed. Dermot Shea, NYPD’s chief of detectives, said Blaine was “under active investigation” by the department’s Special Victims Unit.
The performance artist offered no comment when approached by the Daily Beast, which first reported the allegations on Monday. He said only that he’d not been contacted by police.
CNN, citing unnamed sources, said at least one of the allegations may fall outside the statute of limitations. One of Blaine’s accusers told authorities she was sexually assaulted by the magician inside his Manhattan apartment in 1998, the Beast reported.
Two years ago, Blaine was investigated by Scotland Yard after former model Natasha Prince accused him of raping her in London in 2004 ― an allegation Blaine vehemently denied. After investigating Prince’s claim, detectives said they chose to take “no further action.”
Blaine is known for his death-defying stunts, including being buried underground in a plexiglass coffin for a week and being suspended in a glass box above the River Thames in London for 44 days.