A 44-year-old man from Queens, identified as Teddy Moussignac, is facing serious charges after police allege he attacked and sexually abused an 11-year-old girl in Forest Park. The incident occurred as the young girl was cycling through the park with her father just before 5 p.m. on Monday. Moussignac reportedly grabbed the girl, punched her, and attempted to stifle her screams by threatening to kill her if she tried to call out for help, ABC7NY reports.
The situation escalated when the girl's father, Dimas Reyes, noticed her absence, upon which he proceeded to search and thankfully found her being attacked in the bushes with her bike abandoned, he shared his harrowing account in a statement obtained by ABC7NY. The charges against Moussignac include kidnapping, sex abuse of a victim under 13, criminal obstruction of breathing, forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child, assault, and harassment he was arraigned Wednesday morning his bail set at $150,000 cash or a $450,000 bond.
Shortly after the attack, two police officers apprehended Moussignac who has a previous arrest record, although details are not available due to a sealed record, as per the New York Post. The girl was taken to Jamaica Hospital for the treatment of minor injuries following the attack. The community has since expressed shock and concern, with some residents claiming that certain areas of Forest Park have a reputation for suspicious activity and the presence of "weirdos", according to local parent Brandon Ziegenfuss in a statement obtained by the New York Post.
The traumatic event has left the girl struggling with night terrors and reluctant to leave her apartment; however, she bravely attended her sixth-grade class on Wednesday, her father remains shaken but was relieved to have been able to intervene in time and likely prevented further harm to his daughter. Moussignac's legal representation has not yet publicly commented on the charges, and he is due back in court on Friday.
