Last week, a 13-year-old girl was attacked in broad daylight by an illegal from Ecuador wielding a “machete-style” knife.
The attacker grabbed the child and her male friend, who were walking home from school through Kissena Park in Flushing Meadows, and forced them into a secluded area at around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
He tied the two children by the wrists with a shoelace and then sexually assaulted the young girl.
After the attack, he allegedly stole their cell phones, told them not to do anything for 20 minutes, and then fled.
The two children then returned to their school to report the attack.
During the search for the suspect, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said in a post on X, “New Yorkers, we need your help in tracking down this monster who held a child at knife point and sexually assaulted her in Kissena Park.”
New Yorkers, we need your help in tracking down this monster who held a child at knife point and sexually assaulted her in Kissena Park. If you know him, if you see him, call the NYPD at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and help put him where he belongs, behind bars. All calls are… pic.twitter.com/iptbEjCG4x
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) June 17, 2024
A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for any information leading to the apprehension of the individual responsible for a heinous crime that occurred in Kissena Park on 6/13/24.
A male suspect, described as Hispanic, approximately 5’ 5” with curly hair, in his 20s, and… pic.twitter.com/r50jwJoZYP
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) June 14, 2024
Videos released by the NYPD showing the alleged attacker riding a bike on a sidewalk led to his arrest after neighbors living in the same Queens shelter recognized him from the wanted poster and held him down before calling the police.
The New York Post reports that the illegal, who sources believe entered the country in 2021 through Joe Biden’s broken border, was taken into police custody early Tuesday.
According to Fox News, the suspect had been previously charged with “several low-level prior offenses, including subway fare jumping and drinking in public.”
