By Jeff Lipton
Police said the girl escaped when she cleverly managed to distract her assailant by asking for his name and phone number.
It was the second incident last week in which teens were approached by strangers in Inwood.
The Saturday incident occurred in front of 107 Doughty Blvd. when the 15-year-old girl was walking her dog at 9:40 a.m. on Sept. 21, police said. A man exited an old gray van, swiped the dog from the girl and invited the victim into the van, police added.
Once she stepped into the van to retrieve her dog, the man put his hand inside the victim's bra and fondled the teen and then stuck his tongue in her ear, police said.
Authorities said the girl managed to pull away from the man and distracted him long enough to grab her dog back and run away from the van. Police said the victim distracted him by asking for his name and phone number, which he allegedly gave her. Detectives are now in the process of checking out the information, said Lt. Larry Feffer of the Fourth Precinct.
The victim, who lives in Inwood and attends school locally, then ran home and told her mother, who called 911.
From the beginning, he wanted her to come into the van, said one police official at the Fourth Precinct. He wanted to engage her in conversation. Then, after she ran from the van, he told her, You can come back into the van whenever you want.'
After she ran out of the van, he apparently made no effort to go after her, said Feffer. Obviously, you should never go near a vehicle or people when you are called over.
She went into the van to get her dog back, which was a mistake, Feffer added.
It is not known whether the man would have abducted the girl if she did not escape, or if he just wanted to sexually abuse her, police officials said. But they added that she was lucky she was able to get away from him after stepping into the van, even if he was holding her dog.
If you are a child and see anybody suspicious, you should immediately go to an adult or call 911, one police official said. You should always walk away from those situations.
Feffer said screaming would have been a viable option for her to attract attention, and, if she had the opportunity, she could have taken down a license plate of the van.
Other than the sexual abuse she suffered, the girl received no further injuries, said police, who added that she has been examined by a doctor.
Feffer said the attack occurred at an unusual time, in daylight hours on a busy street.
The man was described as black, about 5-foot-3, with a heavy build, brown eyes and had stubble on his face. He was wearing a blue mesh shirt, a green vest and a black baseball cap, police said. He also was wearing a gold chain around his neck.
Anyone with information is urged to call Fourth Squad detectives at (516) 573-6452. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said. Since it occurred on the Queens border, city police were also notified, the Fourth Precinct said.
Four days before that incident, at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, a 15-year-old boy was on his way home when he was approached at Mott Avenue and Henry Street in Inwood by a man wearing dark clothing, officials said.
The man told him come over here, but the teen, who had never seen the man before, quickly walked away, authorities said. He then told his parents, who called police.
An official at the Lawrence Public Schools said the district was not notified of any incidents last week. Notification is usually made by the victim's parents. Now that they know, school officials may send a letter home to parents warning them about what happened.
The more communication out there, the better, Feffer said. it should be many hands to see to the welfare of children.
