Police: Man Steals Unattended Car, Gropes Sleeping Passenger, Then Sets Car On Fire
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- A man took over behind the wheel of an unattended vehicle and then proceeded to grope a sleeping passenger in the backseat and later set the car on fire in Queens, police said.
A 29-year-old man's car was left running unattended when the suspect sat inside the car and drove away near Springfield Boulevard and Merrick Boulevard in the Rochdale Village section of Queens at around 2 p.m. on August 16, officials said. A 26-year-old woman was asleep in the backseat of the car and woke up to find the man allegedly groping her.
The woman fought off the suspect and exited the car near 135th Street and Farmers Boulevard. The man fled in the vehicle before parking it in front of 140-45 Coombs St. where he set the car on fire, police said. He then fled the scene on foot.
He is described as a black man, bald, 6 feet tall, 220 pounds, last seen wearing a black shirt, green and black plaid shorts and blue socks.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
