By Heather Grossmann and Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — An 8-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in the lobby of a Lower East Side building near Forsyth Street last Thursday afternoon, police said Monday.
An unidentified male followed the girl into the building's lobby about 1:30 p.m. Thursday and grabbed her from behind, fondling her over her clothes, police said. The suspect then fled.
The NYPD released a video and a fuzzy picture of the suspect on Monday. They describe him as Hispanic or white, between 20 and 30 years old, and standing about 5-feet 7-inches tall.
He was heavy set with short dark hair and was wearing a dark Yankees baseball cap, dark T-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. He also had a blue backpack with him, police said.
Police are investigating a link between this incident and the May 6 sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl at the Seward Park Library in Chinatown, but detectives are leaning toward the possibility that the two are unrelated, NYPD sources said.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.
