NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- NYPD officials vowed Friday to "scour the globe" to find the machete-wielding "monster" who tied up two 13-year-olds in broad daylight at Kissena Park in Flushing on Thursday before sexually assaulting one of them and robbing them both. Police released a sketch of the suspect late Friday afternoon.
Police released a sketch of the suspect and the boar tattoo on his chest late Friday afternoon.
NYPD brass held a press conference at the park Friday to announce the department was offering a $10,000 reward for info leading to an arrest in the horrifying attack, vowing "every investigative resource" would be used, including forensics and a computer analysis of recent crimes in the area.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said detectives found evidence that they hope contains the attacker's DNA. "At that location, a shoelace that may have been used to tie the children's hands together was discovered," he said. "A water bottle that the perpetrator left behind is also being processed."
Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD deputy commissioner of operations, called the attack "satanic" and said "detectives will scour the globe to bring some closure to this family, will leave no stone unturned until we bring this monster to justice."
NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said as a father "this incident is a parents' nightmare," while NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell vowed the department would do "whatever we need to do to take this animal—animal—off the streets."
The two friends, a boy and a girl, had gotten out of school and were walking in a field—near Colden Street and Kalmia Avenue—around 3 p.m. when a man in his 20s brandished a "machete-style knife" and forced them into a secluded, wooded area, telling them to "shut up" in English with a "heavy Spanish accent," police said.
The man tied up both of them and sexually assaulted the girl while forcing the boy to watch, according to cops. He then stole their cellphones and fled the scene on foot, telling them to not move for 20 minutes.
After the attack, the victims ran out of the park and back to school, where school staff called 911. They were both hospitalized but are expected to recover physically.
The NYPD scoured the park throughout the night Thursday and the day Friday, searching for leads along the wooded paths, including with the K-9 unit. An NYPD trailer with floodlights was set up outside of the park.
Police said Friday that detectives were conducting a video canvas of the area and that no images of the suspect were immediately available.
The attack occurred in a very secluded area of Kissena Park, and there didn't appear to be any surveillance cameras in the immediate area.
The teens did provide several clues to the suspect—he had a large tattoo of a bull, or similar animal, with red eyes on his chest, had braces on his teeth and was carrying a green backpack. He had curly hair and police said he is about 5'5".
State Sen. John Liu told 1010 WINS he's reaching out to the 109th Precinct to ask about adding cameras and extra patrols to the park, which he said is frequented by everyone from kids to seniors.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.