Teen nearly kidnapped in the Bronx, gets punched in the face, NYPD says

Police released a sketch Tuesday of a man they say tried to kidnap a 16-year-old girl as she walked to a subway station in the Bronx last month.

The teen was walking to the station on East Clark Place, near Grand Concourse, around 6 a.m. when the man walked up behind her and put her in a chokehold, police said. He told her he had a gun and a knife, they said.

The suspect, who was dressed in all black, then dragged her to a dark colored sedan and tried to force her inside the car, but the teen fought back. She struggled with him until they fell to the ground and he struck her in the face, according to the police.

Despite the blow, the teen freed herself and was able to scream for help. The suspect then got into the sedan and fled on Grand Concourse, cops said.

The teen was taken to a nearby hospital and was treated for bruises on her face and hands, police said.

The suspect, believed to be in his 30s, has a distinctive foreign accent, according to the police.