A good Samaritan in Elmhurst ran to the rescue of a 13-year-old boy who was being accosted by a creep on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 22.
Police from the 110th Precinct are looking for a man in a luring of a child incident that took place in front of a home at 43-03 76th St. at around 6:45 p.m., when the stranger allegedly grabbed the youngster and made lewd comments. A bystander overheard the remarks and intervened. The suspect ran off toward Roosevelt Avenue. The child was not injured during the encounter. An NYPD spokesperson could not say what the suspect said to the youngster that made the bystander spring into action.
Luring a Child under New York Penal Law § 120.70 is a felony prohibiting adults from luring children under 17 into a car, building or isolated area with the intent of committing an enumerated offense, such as murder or a sex crime.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect that shows him passing through a subway station turnstile and described him as having a light complexion with black hair and a mustache. He wore a distinctive white winter coat with black stripes, dark pants and red and white sneakers.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to his arrest and indictment.
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.
