Susp busted for attacking 11-year-old girl in Queens

A suspect wanted for dragging an 11-year-old Queens girl into an alley and making crude sexual threats as he held a weapon to her throat before robbing her has been busted, police said Friday.

Jonathan Perez, 34 , was picked up at his Woodhaven home Thursday after police got a tip. He was charged with robbery, assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child younger than 17.

Perez — wearing a black surgical mask and baseball cap — crept up behind the girl, grabbed her by the throat, yanked off her mask and then dragged her to a nearby alley, police said.

He threw her to the ground and held a sharp object to her neck, then demanded to know her age as he made sexual remarks before running off with $20 and her house key, police said.

A homeless man in the alley heard the young girl and scared Perez (photo) away, and the girl’s grandfather chased him, said prosecutors.

The girl was treated for a minor cut to her neck.

Police later released surveillance photos of the suspect. Perez’s brother and sister-in-law identified him to authorities, said Queens Assistant District Attorney Kevin Timpone in Queens Criminal Court.

Perez has two prior arrests — in June for a domestic violence robbery and in June 2018 for patronizing a prostitute, police said. Perez’s lawyer said he believed the arrest record does not include any convictions.

Perez told investigators that his arrest was a case of mistaken identity, Timpone said.

Judge Jeffrey Gershuny set Perez’s bail at $100,000. Perez’s lawyer, Dave Storm of the Queens Defenders, said his client would fight the charges.