Suspect dies after crash during police chase following alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of 9-year-old girl in Queens Village – QNS

A Queens kidnapping suspect died Friday, a day after he allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted a young child when he crashed his car while trying to elude police, NYPD leadership said.

According to Jason Savino, NYPD Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigation, cops spared no expense in searching for 64-year-old Wayne Noel after he allegedly dragged a 9-year-old girl from a Key Food store on the corner of 213th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Queens Village around 7:20 p.m. Thursday while her grandmother was using the restroom.

“The perpetrator approaches our very vulnerable survivor and says something like, 'Stand in front of me,' then he grabs her by the hair and forcibly leads her out of the store. He then pushes her into his own vehicle,” said Police Chief Savino.

Police spotted the suspect on August 30 at 212th Street and Hillside Avenue, but when they tried to pull him over, he sped off, prompting police to launch a chase at around 12:30 p.m. The situation quickly spiraled out of control when the fleeing suspect ran a stop sign at 212th Street and 90th Avenue and collided with a red Jeep Grand Cherokee, sideswiping the vehicle in the middle of the intersection. While the Jeep driver sustained minor injuries, Noel was killed.

“The driver was seriously injured. The police tried to save his life. The injured man was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he unfortunately died,” Savino said.

According to police, Noel sexually abused the child after kidnapping her from the supermarket in his car. He drove nearby where he attempted to perform a sexual act, but a Good Samaritan who was passing by intervened. However, the pervert managed to drive away again and abused the girl before leaving her on the street.

Noel is known to the police. He has been arrested four times in the past, most recently for a robbery in 2022 in which he again kidnapped a woman at knifepoint.

Chief Savino, a father himself, stressed the importance of bringing closure to such a serious case and also emphasized the impact the attack will have on the rest of the child's life.

“That's why we became police officers,” Savino said. “We gave this young survivor a little bit of dignity back.”