The woman, 19, said she was grabbed from behind along Oakland Avenue around 9:00 last Monday night.
The suspect forced her to the ground and attempted to remove his pants and rape her, police said.
The victim's screams alerted a witness, a 56-year-old man, who started to yell at the suspect.
At that point, the suspect fled the scene.
He is described as a white man in his late teens or early 20s, slim build with shoulder length wavy blonde hair which was in a pony-tail. He was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and light blue jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
You can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
