A sexual predator is on the loose in Queens, police officials warned yesterday.

Police said the man, described only as a white male in his 30s or 40s, allegedly sexually assaulted four young girls, all between the ages of 9 and 12, over the last several months. A videotape of the suspect released by police shows the man at a store in the Maspeth section of Queens wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap over his short hair.

The first incident occurred May 5, when the man assaulted a 9-year-old girl in the vicinity of Wyckoff and Summerfield avenues. He was allegedly riding a mountain bike when he forcibly touched the girl, police said. He struck again more than two months later, on July 25, near an intersection on 58th Avenue, police said. A 13-year-old girl was sitting in a parked car when he came upon her and assaulted her, police said.

Just six days later, he allegedly assaulted an 11-year-old girl in the vicinity of 60th Place and Menahan Street. He pushed her against a wall and assaulted her before fleeing the scene, police said.

The most recent incident was last Friday, when the suspect is said to have assaulted a 12-year-old girl in the vicinity of Menahan Street and Woodward Avenue at 5:55 p.m.

While reports of rape are down 2.6% for the year to date across the city, in the 104th Precinct six more reports have been filed than last year, CompStat reports show. Reports of rape have increased 60% over the last five years, the report shows. Except reports of robberies, which are up about 11% versus last year, crime in the other major categories is down significantly in the area. Murder has dropped 92.8% over the last five years, the reports show.

Anyone with information regarding the sexual assaults in the area is asked by police to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS.