By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MORNING SIDE HEIGHTS — Police are on the hunt for a man who tried to molest a 13-year-old boy as he walked to school the day before Christmas.
The young teen was walking to school about 7:20 a.m. on Dec. 23 when the man walked up and started talking to the boy, police said.
The man then took the boy to a building near West 110th Street and Columbus Avenue, where he tried to sexually assault him in a stairwell, police said.
The boy escaped unharmed, police said.
A surveillance video shot moments before the attempted assault shows the boy and his attacker walking together on the sidewalk and passing another man walking in the opposite direction.
Police described the suspect as a black man in his 30s, last seen wearing tan pants, a light brown hat and black sneakers.
Anyone with information about this incident should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.com or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
