By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
LOWER EAST SIDE — Police are hunting for a man they say tried to sexually assault a 12-year-old girl inside her building stairwell this week, the NYPD said.
The victim opened the door to her apartment building on Hester Street after she heard the suspect banging on the outside door of the building about 6 p.m. Monday, police said.
The man then followed the girl to the third-floor stairwell, where he attempted to sexually assault her, police added. The victim was not hurt during the attack.
The suspect, described as between 25 and 30 years old, standing approximately 5-foot-9 and weighing 175 pounds, fled the building on foot following the incident, police said. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, brown pants and a gray hat, police added.
In July, a man followed an 8-year-old girl into the lobby of a building on Forsyth Street and fondled her over her clothes before fleeing the scene, police said.
A few months before that, a man sexually assaulted a 9-year-old girl inside the Seward Park Library on East Broadway before fleeing, police said.
Anyone with information in regards to the attempted sexual assault is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
