NEW YORK — The search for the man has been intensified, police say sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in a Queens park last week.
On Monday evening, the NYPD released the first images of the man it says it is looking for and is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Researchers say no tip is too small.
N.Y.P.D
Officers handed out new flyers with the suspect’s photo on it, hoping someone will recognize him. Police say he raped the girl in Kissena Park after school on Thursday.
Detectives say the suspect forced the teen and her classmate – a 13-year-old boy – into a wooded area and tied them up with shoelaces before committing the disturbing crime. He added that he also took their mobile phones and left a shoelace behind. water bottle that forensic teams are still analyzing.
“He shouldn’t have the freedom to do this again,” said resident Mikki Alvarez. “He’s a mean person.”
Calls for more police and cameras in Kissena Park
Kissena Park was nearly empty Monday night, likely due to news of the crime.
“It’s shocking. This park is usually full. Parents use this as a gathering place for children to be picked up,” said resident Bernard Chow.
“People are scared now. No one takes their children outside and that is sad,” said local resident Shah G..
The park was mostly empty, even though an NYPD mobile command center was parked out front.
“There was no camera there and there were random people coming into this area at this time,” Shah G. said.
Community leaders also gathered Monday night and called for increased police presence and cameras in the area. Officers handed out flyers in different languages, hoping for that one tip that would lead them to the suspect and put the quiet community at ease again.
“We want the community to come into the park. If you eliminate all the abandoned parts of the park, you eliminate all the crime,” said John Kelly of Eastern Queens Greenway.
CBS New York has learned that cameras will appear in and around the park, but it is still unclear when that will happen.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All conversations are treated confidentially.
