Search continues for suspect in connection with rape of 13-year-old girl in Queens Park

FLUSHING, Queens (PIX11) – The search for a man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in Kissena Park in Queens on Thursday continued Saturday.

The disturbing incident has shocked and frightened neighbors.

“We are very worried,” said Hassan Soueidan, a Flushing resident. “Now even my son. He doesn’t want to go to the park alone, so I have to hold his hand.”

Soueidan held his young son for just two days after a man committed a crime so brutal that police said it was “every parent’s nightmare.”

Detectives released a sketch of the man who allegedly forced a 13-year-old boy and girl into the woods near the park with a long machete. There, police say, he took the teenagers’ cell phones, tied their wrists with a shoelace and sexually assaulted the girl before fleeing.

“The entire community should be very dismayed by this and ready to help the police solve this problem,” said NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey.

As NYPD officers continued their search on Saturday, Flushing residents headed out to enjoy their day at the park. But now their carefree play has been replaced by a sense of unease and vigilance. Some residents are now vowing to keep an eye out for the neighborhood children.

“You always have to be careful, and something like this just forces you to be more careful because we all want him caught,” said Darren, who lives in Flushing and declined to give his last name. “We all want him to be prosecuted.”

The suspect is described as a short Hispanic man in his 20s with braces and curly hair. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with black sweatpants, red sneakers and a green backpack. Police also said the man has a tattoo of a wild boar with red eyes on his chest.

The attack occurred in broad daylight and sent shockwaves through the area, which neighbors say is normally quiet.

“I’m very worried,” said park visitor Leandro Batista. “Very worried, you know. I just came here to play softball, and then you hear this and you think, wow.”

Posters with a sketch of the man’s face and tattoo are now hanging in the neighborhood. As the search intensifies, police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.