A 23-year-old college student was a victim of attempted rape in Queens early Friday morning. Authorities say she was followed from a bus stop in Flushing on her way home from a Halloween party when she was attacked.
According to cops, the unidentified woman was heading off a bus near the corner of 152nd Street and Melbourne Avenue in Flushing, close to Queens College; a man followed her, then grabbed her by the throat and shoved her onto the ground before punching her about the head and attempting to rape her. The suspect allegedly fled when a witness who lived in a building nearby heard the woman scream for help and looked out his window. "Then when I finally did hear her screaming, 'Help me, help me,' I opened my window and I said, 'I called 911. The police are on their way,' he just jumped off of her and ran for the hills," the witness told NBC News.
The woman is reportedly an international student from China, and has only been in the city for three months. Her roommate, Sue Wei, says both women are shocked and terrified by the attack. "She was knocking on the door, I opened it, she started crying,” Wei, who is also from China, told CBS News. “She couldn’t even speak complete sentences, just told me someone hit her and tried to rape her."
Police describe the suspect as white male with light complexion, approximately 20-30 years old, 5'5" to 5'8", 150-170 pounds with short dark hair. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and dark jeans. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website.
