NYPD: Two young teens tied up, assaulted in Queens park

Police said two 13-year-olds were tied up, robbed, and assaulted at knifepoint in a Queens park Thursday afternoon, and officials asked for help from the public as they canvassed the nearby neighborhood for the suspect.

At a press conference Friday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the teens, a girl and a boy, were classmates that went to play near Colden Street and Kalmia Avenue in Kissena Park after school dismissal.

They played some soccer, Kenny said, and then decided to walk back toward their school at around 3:30 p.m. Kenny said they were then approached by a man in his 20s, who demanded they both follow him into the woods.

“When they refused, the male told them “shut up” in English. He then produced and displayed a large machete-style knife,” Kenny said.

Once they entered a wooded, secluded area of the park, Kenny said the suspect tied the teens’ wrists together with a shoelace and sexually assaulted the girl.

He then stole both victims’ phones, and told them to wait in place for 20 minutes while he ran away, Kenny said.

Once the teens were able to leave the park, they went back to their school, where they told school staff what had happened. Kenny said the school safety division called 911, setting off a massive response from the 109th Precinct and other task forces in the department to track the suspect down.

Police did not immediately have any photos or videos of the suspect, since the assault took place in a wooded area. Officials described him as a man in his 20s, about 5’5”, with curly hair, a light complexion, and braces on his teeth.

He was last seen wearing black clothes, red sneakers and carrying a green backpack, and police said he had a tattoo of a boar or bull with red eyes on his chest. Kenny said he spoke English with a thick accent.

Police investigating the scene shortly after the incident found a shoelace – possibly the one used to tie the teens’ wrists– and a water bottle that may have been left behind by the suspect, Kenny said. He said both items were being processed for DNA and forensic evidence.

NYPD officers had also posted flyers around the neighborhood, canvassed nearby cameras, briefed other local precincts, and held a meeting with officials from schools in the area, Kenny said. The department will also be looking into all crime patterns and sex offender registries in the area, and will offer a $10,000 reward for any relevant information, he added.

“This is a residential area, a lot of people have home video systems,” Kenny said. “If they can just check their systems for around 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon to look for the type of perpetrator I described, that would be great, that would be very helpful.”

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said the department would be flying drones and installing cameras in the area to look for the suspect and help the nearby community feel safe.

Chief of Patrol John Chell said police would be flooding the area and stepping up patrols in other parks and schools across the city.

“Whatever we need to do to take this animal, animal, off the streets. This is all hands on, obviously,” Chell said.

The teens were both taken to a local hospital after the incident in stable condition.

This is a developing story and has been updated.