Search Is On for Queens Attacker

Police are looking for a man they think has sexually abused four young women in the past month in Queens.

Law enforcement officials said that between July 10 and July 28 the man raped one woman and sexually abused three others. Police said three of the incidents happened at bus stops and that the victims were between 18 years old and 23 years old.

Both Queens and the city in general have seen an increase in the number of rapes, according to the New York City Police Department. There were 745 rapes committed in the city by July in 2007, and 801 committed this year in the same time frame — representing a 7.5% increase. In some precincts in southeastern Queens, the percent increase has been more than double that, according to the statistics.

The chairman of the City Council's Public Safety Committee, Council Member Peter Vallone Jr., said he thinks the suspect may be responsible for even more attacks.

"As a father of two young girls, I want to see this guy caught and punished to the maximum extent allowable by law and then some." Mr. Vallone said this recent suspect's sketch, victim profile, and area of criminal activity match that of a man who flashed a group of children and then sexually attacked a girl last year.