Person arrested in Queens Park teen assault, police say

Police said Tuesday morning they have a person of interest in custody in connection with a high-profile robbery and assault of two 13-year-olds in a Queens park last week.

NYPD officials could not immediately confirm many details about the person, or say whether it was the same person in photos released by police Monday. The photos showed a young man with curly hair riding his bike on a sidewalk while wearing a black shirt, backpack and pants with colorful graphics.

Police released the photos to help them search for a man who allegedly forced a 13-year-old girl and boy into a secluded, wooded area of ​​Kissena Park in East Flushing last Thursday, tied their hands with a shoelace and allegedly sexually assaulted the girls before fleeing with their cellphones, authorities said.

At a news conference Friday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the man approached the two teens, who are classmates, while they were playing around 3:30 p.m. Thursday near Colden Street and Kalmia Avenue after they were expelled from school. The man told them to follow him into the woods, according to Kenny.

“When they refused, the man told them ‘shut up’ in English,” Kenny said. “He then produced and displayed a large machete type knife.”

The incident sparked a massive search by the New York Police Department as officials worked to identify and track down the suspect. Officers flooded the neighborhood as the department flew drones, canvassed local streets and conducted patrols in parks and schools.

This is a developing story based on preliminary information provided by police.