Suspect Tried To Abduct Young Boys In Brooklyn, Police Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Police are searching for a suspect wanted for trying to abduct young boys in Brooklyn.
Investigators say the man seen in the surveillance photo above approached a 10-year-old boy on Fort Hamilton Parkway and 58th Street in Borough Park on May 7 at around 3:05 p.m. He asked the boy if he wanted ice cream. The boy said no and tried to run away and the suspect grabbed the boy by his bookbag and held him there, police said.
The child told police he tried to bite the suspect and got away.
A second incident happened on May 9 at 7th Avenue and 53rd Street in Sunset Park. In that case, the suspect came up to the boy -- also 10 -- as he was walking home from school and grabbed his arm, police said. The boy told police he kicked the suspect and ran.
"It's good that the kids are protecting themselves," Sunset Park resident Cao Zhixiang said.
Zhixiang manages a nearby restaurant, and gave CBS2 video from the May 9th incident to warn the public and praise the child for his quick thinking.
Parents in Sunset Park say they're showing the video and the man's photo to their kids to initiate discussions about stranger danger, how everyone should walk in pairs, and instructing them to yell and scream and report it.
The suspect is about 5-foot-9, 180 pounds and was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, black jacket with white sleeves, dark jeans and sandals.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip by logging on to the Crime Stoppers website or by texting a tip to CRIMES (274637) and then entering TIP577.
All calls are kept confidential.
