By Ivan Pereira
A Springfield Gardens teenage has been charged in connection with the two of the sex attacks that unnerved southeast Queens throughout the fall, investigators said.
The unidentified 15-year-old was questioned at the 105th Precinct Monday morning and arraigned later in the day with attempted rape, attempted sex abuse, sex abuse and assault, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
“The defendant is accused of prowling the streets and preying on vulnerable women. The offenses that the defendant is accused of committing are crimes of violence that posed a serious threat to public safety and which warrant vigorous prosecution,” he said in a statement.
Since Sept. 22, there have been five sexual assaults in Queens Village, Jamaica, Laurelton and Brookville, according to the NYPD. In each case, the attacker has been described as a black male, and the police have released three sketches of the wanted fugitives.
A NYPD spokesman said the teen in custody was connected to two of the sexual assaults that took place on the Oct. 9 and Oct. 16. Because of his age, he faces up two and two-thirds to eight years in prison if convicted on the charges, the DA said.
In the first incident in the spree, a black male grabbed and sexually assaulted a 44-year-old woman as she was entering her Queens Village home around 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 22, according to investigators.
A male grabbed and sexually assaulted another woman in the same vicinity on Oct. 7 around 11 p.m., police said.
Two days later, a 40-year-old woman was trying to enter her home in Laurelton around 1 a.m., when the teen suspect pushed her to the ground, punched her several times in the face and sexually abused her, Brown said. A neighbor heard the commotion and the attacker fled on foot, according to the police.
The victim suffered severe bruising to her eyes, lacerations to the inside of her mouth, a nasal fracture which required surgery, a laceration to her cheek requiring stitches, and severe abrasions to both her knees as well as contusions, pain and swelling to the rear of her head, according to Brown.
On Oct. 12, a 23-year-old woman was walking along 226th Street and South Conduit Avenue around 11:30 p.m. when a male approached her and sexually assaulted her, police said.
Four days later, a woman was walking back to her Brookville home from a bus stop near South Conduit Avenue around 7 p.m., when she was struck in the back of the head by the apprehended suspect and almost sexually assaulted, according to investigators. She was able to fight the suspect off and he fled the scene, police said.
The victim allegedly suffered a lacerated lip, lacerations to the inside of her mouth, bruising, swelling and pain to her face and bruising and contusions to the rear of her head, Brown said.
The sex attack spree has caused great concern among residents in southeast Queens, but the police and the crime watchdog group the Guardian Angels have beefed up patrols in the area.
Anyone with information regarding the other sex crimes is urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), text their tips to 274637 (crimes) then enter TIP577 or log onto www.nypdcrimestoppers.com. All reports will be kept confidential.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
