On the afternoon of June 13th, an incident in which an Asian female student from Public School 237 in Flushing was threatened at knifepoint and sexually assaulted by an assailant after school hours along the “Kissena Corridor Park Trail” has raised concerns among nearby residents. They have expressed worry about the dense vegetation lining the trail, which often instills fear in those walking through it, and recommend authorities to increase patrols and install security cameras.
According to police reports, the incident occurred at the Kissena Corridor Park opposite PS 237 in Flushing, specifically in the wooded area of the “Kissena Corridor Park Trail” across from 47-67 Colden St. The two 13-year-old middle school students, one male and one female, entered the wooded path after school. The assailant, wielding a large knife, forced them into the woods, bound their wrists together with a shoelace, sexually assaulted the 13-year-old girl, and then stole their phones before fleeing.
Colden St. not only houses a middle school but also a park and playground where students, elderly, and children often engage in recreational activities. Journalists have walked through this secluded wooded trail before, noting the lush trees on either side, the narrow path covered in wood chips, maintaining a relatively undisturbed ecosystem with few visitors.
Following the incident, police have significantly increased their presence in the surrounding area to enhance security measures. Residents and students have also expressed their concerns upon hearing about the case.
In an interview, a female student named Christina from Jiang Bang High School shared that her mother, upon learning of the incident in the morning, phoned to alert her about safety precautions, advising her to take a bus home after school instead of walking, and suggesting that she walk with classmates after school.
Residents Mr. Zheng and his wife mentioned that they often take walks in the park and have visited the trail, but due to its shaded nature, they find it nerve-wracking to walk there. They emphasized the dense vegetation on both sides of the trail, raising fears of potential dangers if someone were to be dragged into the woods by a criminal. They also noted the littering in the area that remains uncleared, suggesting that the government should install security cameras, increase patrols by police cars, and enhance residents’ sense of security.
Over the years, the Kissena Corridor Park has witnessed cases of sexual assault and discarded bodies. In July 2017, a non-Asian assailant lurked for two consecutive nights in the undergrowth along the pathway linking the Queens Hospital through Kissena Corridor Park, holding a knife and robbing, sexually assaulting, and raping two Asian victims forced into the shrubbery. One of the victims was a 17-year-old Chinese-American girl.
In October 2015, a Chinese woman named Ma Qingqing was murdered and her body dumped near the pathway in Kissena Corridor Park close to the intersection of Colden St. and Laburnum Ave, the same area where the incident involving the PS 237 middle school student occurred two days prior.
Following the sexual assault incident in 2017, the wooded path crossing from Colden St. to Queens Hospital underwent renovations, with reeds and bushes cleared on both sides and replaced with plants to improve visibility, thus enhancing people’s sense of safety when walking there. Dorothy Wu, a nearly 90-year-old longtime resident on Holly Ave near the park, expressed disappointment over the recurring incidents, remarking on the residents’ persistent calls for the prompt construction of Kissena Way. She also mentioned her repeated requests to restore the playground between 56th Ave and 146th St. and the pedestrian pathway between 56th Ave and the Queen Hospital’s “Meditation Garden”, which had been used as a garbage dump by the park 60 years ago and has since remained neglected. She expressed dismay over the repeated cases of sexual assaults.