NYPD
DITMARS — A man walked up behind an 11-year-old boy walking down an Astoria street, put his arm around his shoulders and tried to steal his cellphone, police said.
The man tried to take the phone out of the boy's pocket as he was walking near 21st Avenue and 43rd Street at 2:20 p.m. on Thursday, police said.
The boy resisted and the man fled empty-handed, according to the NYPD.
Police released a sketch of the suspect, who they describe as standing roughly 5-foot-6 and weighing about 200 pounds with dyed red hair, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
