Police said two 13-year-olds were tied up, robbed and assaulted at knifepoint in a Queens park Thursday afternoon and officers were canvassing the nearby neighborhood for the suspect Friday morning.
The teens, a boy and a girl, were in Kissena Park near Colden Street and Kalmia Avenue in Flushing at around 3:30 p.m. when police said a man in his 20s approached them.
He allegedly pulled out a knife and forced the teens into a wooded area, where he tied them up and raped the girl. Police said he then stole both teens’ cell phones and ran off.
The victims were taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition, officials said.
Police did not have any photos or videos of the suspect as of Friday morning, but described him as a Hispanic man in his 20s, about 5’5”, with curly hair and braces on his teeth. He was last seen wearing red sneakers and carrying a green backpack, and police said he had a tattoo of a boar or bull with red eyes on his chest.
Police encouraged anyone with information to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish, or to submit tips at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ and on Twitter @NYPDTips.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information provided by the police and is likely to be updated.