WOODSIDE — Police are searching for a man who told a woman he had a gun and tried raping her near a busy transit hub last week, police said.
The suspect approached a 24-year-old woman near Woodside Avenue and 61st Street, near the LIRR and 7 train stations, at 12:30 a.m. Aug. 17, police said.
He struck up a conversation with her and then simulated that he had a gun, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce.
He exposed himself and forced her to touch his genitals, and then tried luring her to a more secluded area near a construction site, police said.
The victim was able to run away when she saw people walking nearby, and the suspect fled.
He's described as approximately 25 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 140 lbs, with brown hair. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded jacket, dark green pants and a gray hat, police said.
If you have information about this incident please call NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).