Police from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill are looking for a cyclist who rode up alongside a 9-year-old girl and tried to engage her in conversation at around 8 a.m. on Thursday, June 13.
The encounter occurred in the vicinity of Jamaica Avenue and 104th Street while the youngster was walking to school. When the man asked the girl to join him on his bike, the girl sensed danger and took off, running to her school where she alerted authorities of the incident.
The suspect fled on his bike northbound on 102nd Street toward Forest Park. Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying him for endangering the welfare of a child. The girl was not injured during the encounter with the cyclist.
The NYPD released a surveillance photo of the suspect on Wednesday and described him as having a dark complexion and medium build with dark hair, and a goatee. He wore a blue shirt with stars and stripes on the shoulders and light blue shorts. A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.
Anyone with information regarding 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.
