Police offer $10K reward for tips in Queens rape case

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – Police are offering up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest, conviction and indictment of a man suspected of raping a young girl at a Queens park.

The reward includes $3,500 from Crime Stoppers once the suspect is arrested and indicted, and $6,500 from the NYPD once the suspect is arrested and convicted, according to the NYPD. 

The man in his 20s is accused of tying up two 13-year-olds' hands while wielding a large knife Thursday around 3:30 p.m. at Kissena Park near Colden Street and Kalmia Avenue, according to the NYPD. He took both of the kids’ cell phones and sexually assaulted the young girl, police said. 

The attack, which happened in broad daylight, has sent shockwaves through what neighbors said is normally a quiet neighborhood. 

“We are very concerned,” said Flushing resident Hassan Soueidan. “Even my son now. He doesn’t want to go to the park by himself, so I have to keep holding his hand.”

The man is described as having short, with curly hair, dental braces on his teeth, and a chest tattoo of a boar or bull with red eyes, a sketch of which has been released by police.