NEW YORK — A man suspected of kidnapping a 9-year-old girl from a New York City supermarket and sexually assaulting her in his car died Friday when he crashed while fleeing police, authorities said.
Officers attempted to pull over the 64-year-old suspect’s car in Queens in the early afternoon, New York Police Department Assistant Chief Jason Savino said at a news conference.
While the police were chasing him, the driver ignored a stop sign and collided with another vehicle. He died in hospital. The driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries.
According to police, the man approached the girl at the Key Food store on Thursday evening while her grandmother was using the restroom.
He ordered the girl to stand in front of him, grabbed her by the hair and “forcefully” led her outside, Savino said. He then pushed the girl into his car, drove a short distance, assaulted her and left her in the street.
The man, who lived in Queens, had been arrested four times before, most recently for a robbery in 2022. In that case, he forced a victim into his vehicle in a similar manner, but she was able to escape, police said.
