Pictured: Illegal migrant ‘who sexually assaulted 13-year-old girl in New York City park three years after crossing southern border’
A suspected illegal immigrant arrested for raping a 13-year-old girl in a New York City park has been photographed for the first time.
Police said the man approached the girl and a 13-year-old boy in Kissena Corridor Park while brandishing a machete.
He then tied their wrists with shoelaces before sexually assaulting the girl, police said.
Fox news reports that the suspect is an illegal immigrant from Ecuador who entered the US through the southern border three years ago, citing police sources.
The man has reportedly committed several low-level offenses, including drinking in public and jumping through subway turnstiles.
Suspect in the rape of a 13-year-old girl in a New York City park has been photographed for the first time
One image showed the shirtless suspect being led away by police, wearing only one shoe, after the fight with locals.
The NYPD confirmed that a person of interest was in custody, but said it will not release any further details until formal charges are filed.
The man was arrested after neighbors recognized him from a wanted photo and restrained him while they called 911.
The attack happened Thursday about three miles from Citi Field stadium, near the victim’s school.
The children were approached by a man with a knife and forced into a wooded area, police said.
After the attack, he made off with their phones, but left behind the laces and a water bottle, which are being forensically analyzed. CBS reports.
Police described the suspect as a Hispanic man in his 20s with braces and a distinctive tattoo of a red-eyed boar on his chest.
Police said the man approached the girl and a 13-year-old boy in Kissena Corridor Park while brandishing a machete
The attack happened Thursday about three miles from Citi Field stadium, near the victim’s school
They released video footage of him on a bicycle in an attempt to track him down, and offered a $10,000 reward for information.
On Monday, community leaders gathered to demand cameras be installed in the park while handing out wanted flyers.
The incident has shocked locals and left the park virtually deserted in recent days.
‘It’s shocking. This park is usually full. Parents use this as a gathering place for children to be picked up,” resident Bernard Chow told CBS.