By Cynthia Koons
Two sketches were released of suspects, between 20 and 25 years old, both described as Hispanic men between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9 and weighing from 150 to 170 pounds, police said. One has a hood on in the police composite and the other has a crooked baseball cap on and is possibly known as “Joe,” police said.These men were wanted in connection with an attack that took place at about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10 in a salon on 42nd Avenue and College Point Boulevard, police said. Neighbors at a strip mall there said the incident occurred at the upstairs store Maxcomfort, located at 42-26 College Point Boulevard. The men allegedly entered the parlor wielding knives before sexually assaulting two female employees and stealing an undetermined amount of money from the victims, according to police. Police said an Asian man was also robbed during the incident, but he was unharmed.Police did not say whether either of the women were hospitalized. No one answered the door Tuesday morning at Maxcomfort, a store that offers temperature treatment, a sauna and foot massages, according to its red awning, which also has Asian writing on it.It is located in a strip mall alongside a tire store, florist, Laundromat, computer repair shop and Middle Eastern grocer where a few stores still had their metal gates down Tuesday at 11 a.m.Most neighbors would only talk anonymously about the attack at the upstairs parlor, but nearly all of them said that Maxcomfort was open primarily during the afternoons and at night and catered almost exclusively to men.”It's not a proper operation,” said one store owner who wished to remain unidentified. “Detectives came and asked if I'd seen anyone strange around here.”He said the parlor did not bring local residents to the strip mall.”That is danger, any (store) that brings strangers is danger,” he said.A salesman from the carpet store in the strip mall said he had no contact with the parlor because his store closes at 5 p.m.”They work at night and we work during the day so we have no communication,” Nelson Cheng, a carpet store salesman, said.”I don't know about nighttime, but during the day it's okay. I don't see any strange people,” Cheng said.Other store neighbors said the parlor normally opened at 1 p.m. in the afternoon and operated into the late night hours.The owners of the property, Huang Yee Lau and Bi Hua Liu of Bayside according to property records, could not be reached for comment.Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.
