A 64-year-old Queens resident, Wayne Noel, was implicated in the abduction and sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl from a New York City supermarket. The subsequent day, he met his demise in a vehicular accident while trying to elude law enforcement, as per official reports.
The incident transpired on a Thursday evening, around 7 p.m., at a Key Food supermarket on Jamaica Avenue. The young victim was accompanied by her grandmother, a respected community member, who momentarily stepped away to use the restroom. Seizing the opportunity, Noel approached the child and manipulated her into following him, according to the police report.
Noel is alleged to have forcibly removed the girl from the supermarket by her hair. He then coerced her into his vehicle, drove to a nearby location, and sexually assaulted her. The assault was interrupted by a passerby, causing Noel to hastily depart the scene.
However, Noel returned to the supermarket’s vicinity and assaulted the girl once more, as stated by NYPD Assistant Chief of Detectives Jason Savino. Following the second assault, Noel deserted the girl on the street and fled the scene.
The next day, around 12:30 p.m., law enforcement officers located the suspect’s vehicle near 212th Street and Hillside Avenue. When they attempted to stop him, Noel accelerated, disregarded a stop sign, and collided with another vehicle. He was transported to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Initially, when the police issued an alert about the kidnapping, they were unaware of the suspect’s identity. However, on Friday, individuals who recognized Noel from the supermarket’s surveillance footage assisted in identifying him, Savino stated.
Noel had a history of criminal activity, including a 2022 arrest for robbery. In that incident, he reportedly used a knife to coerce a woman into his vehicle and drove away. The woman, however, was able to escape.