Police are looking for a man they said allegedly broke into an East Harlem apartment and tried to rape a sleeping 8-year-old girl.
The girl was sleeping in her home near East 108th Street and First Avenue on July 7 when the suspect entered her home and tried to sexually assault her while her father and her siblings were in the next room, police said.
When the girl awoke, the man ran away through a bedroom window and a back fire escape, according to police, probably the same way he got inside.
The girl wasn't physically hurt.
Parents in the neighborhood were horrified to learn of the attack.
"That's horrific. I can't imagine being afraid that someone's going to come into my own house and hurt my own children," said Ivette Pizarro.
"In my kid's room, the window will always be locked, especially if there's a fire escape," said another neighbor named Chantel. "I will always make sure that window is locked."
Local
The suspect is described as being in his 20s, with black shoulder-length hair and acne-ridden skin.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
