Police are searching for the knife-wielding man who forced a teen into a forested part of a Queens park and sexually attacked her.
Police responded to a call made from a local hospital about a 17-year-old girl who said she was approached by a stranger while walking inside Kissena Corridor Park at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The man had a knife and dragged her into a heavily wooded section of the park, away from potential witnesses and surveillance cameras, according to police. He then made her perform a sexual act.
The attacker fled on foot, while the victim walked to New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital.
The NYPD Queens Special Victims Squad is investigating the incident. Police are putting a huge amount of resources into the investigation — more than 50 police officers were searching for through the park for evidence on Thursday.
Police believe the attacker is in his mid-20s.
The attack has left park-goers and staff at the nearby hospital on edge. Some said they wouldn't feel safe until the attacker was apprehended.
"I wouldn't come at night, because you can't see anything," said Monica Wat. "There's so many trees around here."
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"Very scary," said Sirgin John. "I go in there 6 o'clock in the morning when I'm heading off to work."
Regular walkers say that many homeless people live in the woods of the park, but no evidence has been found connecting that to the assault.
