NYPD installs surveillance cameras after attempted rape in Central Park

Police near the scene of an attack in Central Park on April 1, 2024 (Source: PIX11)

NEW YORK (PIX11) — The NYPD has installed additional surveillance cameras in Central Park after a sunbather was attacked and nearly raped in the famous green space last month, police said Tuesday.

“These are not temporary cameras. They will remain in Central Park,” NYPD Deputy Chief of Operations Kaz Daughtry said at a press conference earlier this month.

The installation occurred sometime after the Fourth of July weekend. It was not immediately clear how many cameras were added, but officials previously indicated it would be a significant number.

“That’s a lot,” Daughtry said at the meeting.

James Longmire, 43, allegedly attacked a 21-year-old woman sunbathing in Great Hill near West Drive and West 104th Street in Central Park around 1:35 p.m. on June 24, police said. Longmire allegedly exposed himself and attempted to rape the woman before she fought back, authorities said.

Great Hill is a remote park within Central Park that is prone to such incidents. After the attack, the NYPD met with the Central Park Conservancy to discuss where the additional cameras would be most useful, officials said.

A spokesperson for the Central Park Conservancy did not respond to PIX11’s request for comment on the cameras.

The NYPD also installed additional surveillance cameras in Kissena Park after a 13-year-old girl was raped and robbed on June 13.

The suspect, Christian Inga, allegedly stuffed a headscarf into her mouth before ripping her clothes off and attacking her in a wooded area of ​​the park, prosecutors said.

“We have a lot of cameras up there. Some of them are visible, some of them are not,” Daughtry said.

Inga, a migrant from Ecuador, was arrested and charged with rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault, robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment, authorities said.

The