What to Know
- The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the machete-wielding stranger with dental braces they say forced two 13-year-olds into some park woods Thursday afternoon, tied them up and sexually assaulted the girl before stealing both their phones
- The children were taken to a hospital and were last said to be in stable condition; after waiting 20 minutes post-assault, they returned to their school, which had recently let out for the day, and reported what happened, the NYPD said at an afternoon news conference
- Detectives say they don't yet have images of their suspect. He is described as being about 5 feet 5 inches tall and in his 20s with a heavy accent. He had a tattoo of a boar or a bull with red eyes on his chest, according to police. Call 1-800-577-TIPS if you have information on the case
Multiple high-level NYPD officials pleaded with the public Friday for help identifying the tattooed stranger they say forced two 13-year-old schoolmates into some park woods at knifepoint, tied them up and sexually assaulted the girl.
They've also posted flyers asking for help -- and added a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
According to investigators, the boy and girl were on a field in Flushing's Kissena Park around 3 p.m., just after school let out for the day, when a curly-haired man with braces walked up and demanded they follow him into the woods. When they refused, police say he pulled out a "large machete-style knife" and forced them into an isolated area, where he bound each of their wrists with a shoelace. Then he sexually assaulted the 13-year-old girl.
The kids told cops the man warned them to stay where they were for 20 minutes. He then ran off with their phones. Once time was up, they returned to school and told administrators what happened. They called 911 immediately.
"As a father, a member of this department for many years, this is a parents' nightmare -- and all the communities should be very upset about this and willing to come out and help the police department as we try to resolve this issue," NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. "We will spare no expense. We will use every investigative resource. And I again implore the community to help us bring closure to this case for these young children and this family."
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The children were taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Detectives say they don't yet have footage of their suspect and are conducting a video canvas of the area in hopes of capturing his image. He is described as being about 5 feet 5 inches tall and in his 20s with a heavy accent. He wore braces on his teeth and he had a tattoo of a boar or a bull with red eyes on his chest, according to police. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black sweatpants and red sneakers, and was carrying a green backpack.
They did recover a shoelace at the scene and are processing that to determine whether it was the one used to tie up the children. A water bottle the attacker left behind is also behind processed. Crime scene detectives are still searching the area, NYPD officials said Friday afternoon, and the department is working with the Queens district attorney's office on search warrants. They say they're looking at all registered sex offenders known to live in the area.
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One NYPD official called the suspect an "animal" -- and again urged the public for help getting him off the street.
Anyone with information on the attack is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
