Police from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows are looking for a suspect who attempted to rape a 20-year-old woman inside a Jamaica Hills subway station early Saturday morning before a good Samaritan came to her rescue.
The victim was exiting a Queens-bound F train at the 169th Street station on Hillside Avenue just after midnight when a stranger began to follow her. Once inside the mezzanine level, the assailant punched her in the face multiple times while she tried to cover her face.
Her attacker then shoved her to the ground and attempted to remove her clothing. The victim struggled and screamed for help which alerted a security guard who intervened. The suspect fled the station on foot toward 168th Place.
EMS responded to the crime scene and transported the victim to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where she was treated for her injuries and listed in stable condition.
“Thank goodness there was a transit guard who was alert, concerned, and in a position to safely intervene on behalf of a New Yorker in an awful situation,” NYC Transit President Richard Davey said. “Those guards are part of a subway security overlay that includes cops, cameras, and transit employees, and when this criminal is caught, prosecutors and courts must deliver maximum consequences.”
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect in the attempted rape investigation on Wednesday and described him as having a dark complexion, approximately 5’10”, last seen wearing a light blue hooded sweatshirt over a white tank top with black pants and orange and white sneakers.
Anyone with information in regard 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). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Feb. 25, the 107th Precinct has reported 5 rapes so far in 2024, 1 fewer than the 6 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 16.7%, according to the most recent CompStat report. The 107th Precinct reported 7 other sex crimes so far this year, 2 more than the 5 reported at the same point in 2023, an increase of 40%, according to CompStat.
