A Woodhaven man is accused of abducting an 11-year-old girl as she rode her bike in Forest Park on Monday evening and then dragging her into a wooded area near Victory Field, where he groped and assaulted her before her father intervened and chased him away.
Teddy Moussignac, 44, of 102nd Street, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Queens Criminal Court on a complaint charging him with kidnapping, sexual abuse, assault and other related crimes.
According to the criminal complaint, at around 4:40 p.m. on May 19, Moussignac grabbed the youngster as she rode along a bike path, put his hands over her mouth and nose, and told her, “If you scream, I will kill you.”
After taking her into a secluded area, he allegedly groped her breast with his hand, and then punched her in the face and thigh, causing substantial pain, scratches on her arms, bruising and swelling to her face. Her 37-year-old father had been searching for his daughter when he saw Moussignac holding her and yelled, causing him to release the girl and run off into the woods.
The father called 911, and officers from the 102nd Precinct responded to the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park Drive and picked up the father and daughter and conducted a canvas of the park until they spotted Moussignac, who was taken into custody. The young girl was treated for minor injuries at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
Moussignac was booked at the 102nd Precinct, where he was additionally charged with forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child.
The Queens District Attorney’s office requested that Moussingnac be remanded into custody without bail at his arraignment, but Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar set his bail at $150,000 cash and $450,000 bond with a full order of protection.
Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar called the allegation “horrifying” in a post to social media after receiving a briefing on the incident from the 102nd Precinct.
“Fortunately, her father intervened, and the man was arrested without incident,” Rajkumar said. “I will not tolerate such vile crimes in my district, and I call upon the perpetrator to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In the coming days, I will be working closely with law enforcement and all stakeholders to determine the resources we need to end such heinous acts once and for all.”
