Alleged Attack Of Young Girl In Queens Draws The Ire Of The Community
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Residents of a Queens neighborhood are shocked and angered after police said a 10-year-old girl was sexually attacked in the elevator.
It happened on July 31 at an apartment building near the intersection of Colden Street and Franklin Avenue in Flushing. The two were inside a building's elevator around 7:30 p.m. when the suspect attacked the child, police said.
1010 WINS' John Montone reports
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The suspect then fled the scene.
Neighborhood residents were stunned by the news of the alleged attack.
"You can't get out, where do you go? You can't do anything," one neighbor told CBS 2's Weijia Jiang. "She's little, she can't fight back."
"Somebody will see him and somebody will call and tell about it," Dorothy Motts of Flushing added. "He should be caught."
Residents said they're now helping to look for the suspect, who police described as a 5-foot-4 Asian man between 45 and 55 years old. He was last seen wearing tan shorts and a green shirt with blue stripes.
A poster with the suspect's sketch is plastered inside several building near the scene. It's a warning and a tool to find the accused molester.
"It is worrisome, and it made me immediately think of my daughter," a Flushing resident said. "It's really sad for the little girl. We have predators in the community."
Flushing is a very diverse neighborhood -- several different cultures are represented -- but no matter the language, word is traveling quickly to be on the lookout for the suspect.
Maggie Pang said that mothers in the community are especially scared, and are warning each other not to let their kids go on elevators alone.
Police said that it's unclear if the suspect lives in the area, which is why they want everyone to be on the lookout.
Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
