Nov. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Police are searching for a man who allegedly tried to rape a 14-year-old girl in Kew Gardens and a woman near Forest Park Thursday.
The first incident took place in Kew Gardens at around 12:35 p.m. when the man targeted a 14-year-old girl.
Police said the suspect approached the teen from behind on the corner of 84th Avenue and 118th Street and pushed her into bushes. He then attempted to remove the girl’s pants, but the victim was able to fend the man off. The suspect then fled on foot.
Less than an hour later, at around 1:05 p.m., the suspect headed to Forest Park where he attempted to rape a woman, police said.
The man grabbed a 24-year-old woman and knocked her to the ground near Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park Drive. The suspect pulled down the woman’s sweatpants, but the victim was able to fight him off and he ran away, police said.
The suspect also targeted another woman on Thursday in an alleged groping incident.
Earlier in the day, at around 10:40 a.m., he grabbed a 20-year-old woman in Richmond Hill near 104th Street and Jamaica Avenue. He allegedly put his arms around the victim and grabbed her buttocks, police said. The woman resisted and the man ran off.
None of the victims were physically injured, according to police.
The NYPD released a photo and description of the suspect. Police describe him as Black, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a slim build. He was last seen wearing a T-shirt, beige cargo shorts and white sneakers.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.