Police Hunt For Long Island City Rape Suspects
LONG ISLAND CITY (CBSNewYork) -- Police are hunting for three men wanted in a sickening sex assault in Queens.
"Afraid. I'm afraid. I'm afraid for my safety," Ellie Alvarado said.
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Alvarado works only a few steps away from where Sunday's sexual assault took place.
"I happen to live around the area, too, so sometimes when I leave work it gets dark already, so I'm very concerned," she told CBS 2's Mark Morgan.
According to police, at around 3:45 a.m. Sunday a 20-year-old woman was walking in the vicinity of Vernon Boulevard and 10th Street in Astoria, when she was attacked from behind by two men. The men dragged her into a parking lot, and held her down while a third man sexually assaulted her.
Morgan spoke with another local resident who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, and she said she's not surprised that the crime took place here.
"I've seen things happen here. It's very deserted. It's generally a beautiful area, but in the evening or early morning, no no," Eugenie Richter said.
Police have released a sketch of the third suspect. He's described as a 25-30-year-old male, around 5-foot-10, with dirty blonde hair and light-colored eyes. He is still at large, and women in this neighborhood are on edge.
The victim in Sunday's attack was treated at a hospital and released.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers. All calls are kept confidential. You can call them at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), submit tips to their website, or text your tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577.
