Police: Queens College Student Attacked While Returning Home From Halloween Party
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An international college student is recovering following an early morning assault in Queens.
The 24-year-old victim was attacked while returning home from a Halloween party around 4:30 a.m. Friday, CBS 2's Weijia Jiang reported.
The suspect apparently followed the victim after she got off the bus and ambushed her on the corner of 152nd Street and Melbourne Avenue in Flushing, investigators said.
"She gets off the bus and he punches her in the head and attempts to drag her into the bushes," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.
Police have released a sketch of the suspect who allegedly beat the woman and tried to take off her pants, Jiang reported.
The victim's screams woke her neighbor who interrupted the attack.
"It happened so fast," said the man, who doesn't want to reveal his name. "I just instinctively opened up my window, and yelled at him, I called 911, and the cops were on the way."
The suspect immediately took off running.
"I'm just glad it didn't go where it was heading," the man said.
Sue Wei, who lives with the victim, said her roommate was distraught after the attack, which happened just a few doors from their house.
"She was knocking on the door, I opened it, she started crying," Wei said. "She couldn't even speak complete sentences, just told me someone hit her and tried to rape her."
"I was very shocked," Wei said.
Both women are international students from China at Queens college. The victim has only been in the country for three months.
Wei said without an arrest, they won't be able to sleep, let alone study.
"The most concern is where the guy lives, I hope he's not living in this neighborhood," Wei said.
The attack left neighbors on edge.
"This doesn't happen in this area. Very quiet, scary," Muriel Gonzalez said.
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