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Attempted Sex Assault in Chinatown Renews Fears for Children

By Patrick Hedlund | January 27, 2011 5:55pm | Updated on January 28, 2011 7:10am

By Patrick Hedlund

DNAinfo News Editor

CHINATOWN — The attempted sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl inside a Chinatown apartment building this week has reignited fears in a community still reeling from separate attacks on young girls over the summer.

On Monday, a man followed the girl into the stairwell of her Hester Street building and attempted to sexually assault her before fleeing the location, police said.

The victim unwittingly let her attacker into the building after she heard him banging on the outside door about 6 p.m., police said. She was ultimately unharmed.

Police sources said the incident did not appear to be connected to a pair of attacks on young girls in the neighborhood over the summer — the first inside Seward Park Library on East Broadway in May, and the second inside a building on Forsyth Street in July.

A surveillance image of the suspect wanted for trying to sexually assault a 12-year-old girl inside the stairwell of her Hester Street building Monday.
A surveillance image of the suspect wanted for trying to sexually assault a 12-year-old girl inside the stairwell of her Hester Street building Monday.
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NYPD

Still, advocates stressed the importance of not allowing children to walk around the neighborhood unaccompanied, despite the community's reputation for taking care of its own.

"Sometimes those guys, they're looking for something, and they found her walking alone," said Jack Eng, president of Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, adding that police told him the girl was heading home from an after-school program when the incident occurred. "That's a problem."

Eng suggested that parents and teachers make sure not to let kids leave school unattended, expecially at nightfall, to avoid making them targets.

"I think the schools should talk to the parents or have a meeting and tell all the parents what happened so they can know what to do in the future," he added. "Thank God she's OK."

Detectives investigating the attempted attack also advised parents to teach their kids what steps they can take to avoid such situations.

"Be vocal. There's nothing wrong with screaming, 'Get away from me,'" said a detective with the NYPD's Child Abuse Squad, which is investigating the incident. "You'll grab other people's attention. Don't be afraid to yell."

The detective also said that children should try to stay within large crowds and always be aware of their surroundings, especially when entering buildings alone.

Councilwoman Margaret Chin, who attended a May forum following the incident at Seward Park Library and is the first Chinese-American to represent Chinatown in Council history, added that child safety should rank at the top the community's concerns.

"Keeping our children safe should be every community's No. 1 priority," she said. "I urge parents to sit down and talk to their children about the importance of never buzzing up or opening the door to let a stranger — or anyone — into the building."