New York City police are searching for a man they say attempted to kidnap a teenage girl on Staten Island. In an effort to identify him quickly, the New York Police Department has released an image of the person they are looking for and is appealing to the public for any information that could help the investigation.
According to police, the encounter began outside Empire Outlets, in the St. George section of Staten Island, on Saturday morning. Investigators say the man approached the 14-year-old there, in what authorities have described as the start of a frightening sequence of events for the young teenager.
From there, police say, the man allegedly lured the girl to a nearby deli and then into a taxi. Authorities have not detailed exactly how he is said to have persuaded her to go along, but they have framed the movements as part of an attempt to take her away from the busy area where she was first approached.
Police say the suspect groped the teenager before she was able to break away from him. Out of respect for the girl, who is a minor, authorities have not released her identity, and the focus of the public appeal is squarely on identifying the man rather than on the victim.
After the girl got away, the suspect left the scene, and no arrest has been announced. Because the man has not been identified or charged, the account so far rests on what police say happened, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until a case is brought against him.
The department is asking anyone who recognizes the person in the image, or who has information about the incident, to contact police. Officers stressed that tips from the public can be decisive in cases like this, where a suspect approached a young person in a public place and then fled before officers arrived.
For the St. George area, a busy waterfront district near the Staten Island Ferry, the appeal has put residents and visitors on alert. Police have encouraged people in the area to stay aware of their surroundings and to come forward with anything that might help bring the investigation to a close.