Police release sketch of attempted Mineola abduction suspect

Nassau police have released a sketch of one of the men they said tried to kidnap two 8-year-old girls from a Mineola residential yard Tuesday.

The suspect had a long and full brown beard, short and straight black hair, and an earring in his left ear, detectives said. He had a thin build, appeared to be 40-45 years old and seemed to be about 5 feet, 5 inches tall, police said.

The two girls were playing in the yard of a Maple Place home at about 4:40 p.m. when two men wearing yellow pants and blue shirts chased them around the yard, police said.

The suspect in the sketch pushed one girl to the ground and hit her in the face, police said, while the second girl was able to run away unharmed.

The first girl screamed and kicked her attacker, and both men ran off, police said.

One suspect took off in a white vehicle, while the other took off in a dark-colored vehicle, possibly a Chevy, detectives said.

Detectives ask anyone with information to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.