Yes, it's a
well-known cautionary tale about media sensationalism. Genovese was attacked by serial killer Winston Mosely. There were 5 known witnesses. Two of them called the police (albeit one only after calling friends for advice and crossing to a neighbor's apartment). A third, Robert Mozer, intervened directly and yelled at Mosely, causing him to run off. A fourth witness, Sophia Ferrar, came out and attempted to help the bleeding Genovese, cradling her until help arrived. The fifth witness, the aptly named Joseph Fink, closed his door, did nothing, and took a nap.
Because of the swift response by witnesses, an ambulance arrived soon after the attacks; unfortunately, Genovese died en route to the hospital.
But there was a widely-reprinted early report in the New York Times that made all sorts of incorrect claims (that there were something like 38 witnesses all of whom ignored the situation, that Mosely attacked Genovese 3 times, that nobody called the cops, and that Genovese died on the sidewalk with nobody trying to help her), so until the late 1990s people--especially in rural america--would often use it as a moral pearl-clutching story about urban decay and how people don't care enough to help each other in the big city.
Since then it's been used as a case study in journalism and the persistence of legends.
Apparently the original misconception still lingers in some corners. A good myth is hard to displace.