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Ridgewood, Queens Residents Concerned By Rash Of Attacks Targeting Women

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are looking for a man who attacked a woman in the Ridgewood section of Queens earlier this month.

At around 3 a.m. on Sunday, May 8, near Harman Street and Seneca Avenue, a 26-year-old woman was followed and approached by a male who threw her to the ground and tried to rape her.

The victim fought back and the suspect fled, police said.

The suspect has been described as a light complexion black or Hispanic, in his teens with a slim build. He was wearing a light-colored hoodie, camouflage shorts, black sneakers, and was carrying a backpack.

As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, Harman Street has been the site of three such attacks in the past few months.

Police released footage of the suspect moments before the assault as he walked into a gated patio.

He paused and appeared to look for something in his backpack, while the would-be victim approached without a clue as to what was about to happen.

Once she passed the gate, the suspect ran after her.

"And then when he seen her pass by, that's when he used the opportunity to come right behind her," neighbor Aneta Faszczewski said.

Faszczewski lives on the same block. She said another neighbor heard the commotion as the suspect pushed the woman into the patio area and began assaulting her.

"First he said the noises he heard, then they went disappeared, and when he looked out the window cause he felt something was wrong, he seen he was choking her, so that's when the voices went away," she said.

Faszczewski said the neighbor yelled out and the man ran away.

It's an all too common occurrence on the street as the same thing happened two blocks away earlier this year.

"Same guy, within 15 minutes. Two women so it's scary. That's why I never walk at night by myself," Faszczewski said.

In March, police said a man attacked two women in the same night.

He groped a 20-year-old woman after running up behind her. Minutes after he went after a 25-year-old woman, groping her and stealing her purse.

It's unclear if the two incidents in March were related to the May attack, but Faszczewski said it made her think about moving.

"I have a daughter, a one-year-old daughter so it's scary," she said.

Anyone with information regarding the incident has been 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 by texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) and entering TIP577.

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