NYC police have launched a manhunt for a man accused of binding a boy and girl at Queens park Thursday, while sexually assaulting one of them.
According to CBS News, an unidentified man forced two 13-year-old children into the woods at Kissena Park in Queens Thursday afternoon, after the children finished school for the day. He tied the teens, a boy and a girl, together with a shoelace and sexually assaulted the girl, police said.
NYPD stated in a press conference Friday that the teens were threatened with “a large, machete-style knife.”
“The children were forced at knifepoint to follow him into a secluded area in the park where he tied the boy’s and girl’s hands together with a shoelace. The perpetrator then sexually assaulted the 13-year-old girl,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
“The perpetrator told both victims to wait at the location for 20 minutes while he fled the location on foot after robbing both children of their cellphones.”
When the victims returned to school, they told a school counselor about the incident, prompting a manhunt.
“We will pull many officers to this area to help ease fears, watch this park,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
To bolster park security, drones and cameras have been deployed. NYPD has also released sketches of the suspect.
WANTED🚨for a Sexual Assault i/o Kissena Park #Queens @NYPD109pct on 6/13/24 displayed a knife & forced the 13-y/o victims into a wooded area, forcibly removed the cellphones of both victims & sexually assaulted the Victim💰Reward up to $10,000 Know who he is?Call 1-800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/XbZtlaUvuz
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) June 15, 2024
The assailant is described as a light-skinned male in his 20s, with braces on his teeth, curly hair, and a heavy Hispanic accent. He has a tattoo of a bull or a similar animal with red eyes and red horns on the left side of his chest.
Police are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with any information should contact 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 DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips.
All calls are kept confidential.
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[Feature Photo via NYPD]
