Detectives from the Queens Special Victims Squad have joined the urgent manhunt for the sexual predator who allegedly beat and raped a 53-year-old woman inside a commercial building in Downtown Flushing on the night of Sunday, July 14.
Police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing responded to a 911 call after the victim was attacked at 11:06 p.m. inside the business in the vicinity of Prince Street and 40th Road near the Bland Houses NYCHA complex after the perpetrator punched her multiple times in the head before forcibly raping her, police said. The stranger then fled on foot in an unknown direction.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Thursday night and described him as a heavyset Hispanic, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s. He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and white shorts.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation 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. The Queens Special Victims Squad needs help to identify the suspect and can be reached directly at 646-610-7272.
Through July 14, the 109th Precinct has reported 18 rapes so far in 2024, 3 fewer than the 21 reported at the same point last year, a decline on 14.3%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Assaults are on the rise in the precinct with 275 reported so far this year, 26 more than the 249 reported at the same point in 2023, an increase of 10.4%, according to CompStat.
