Man sexually assaults sunbather in Central Park: NYPD

Photo credit: WSR

By Gus Saltonstall

A 21-year-old woman was sunbathing in the Great Hill section of Central Park near the corner of West 104th Street and West Drive around 1:30 p.m. Monday when she looked up and a half-naked man was running toward her, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said at a news conference in the park tonight.

The woman screamed, jumped up and tried to run away from the man, but he attacked her from behind, Chell said.

She was able to fight the man off and he fled south,” Chell added. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital.

The New York Police Department has mobilized a search team for the park and the surrounding area. The suspect, whom the police describe as “in his 30s, black, approximately 6 feet tall, of medium build with curly hair, wearing a light-colored shirt and shorts,” had not been caught as of 7 p.m. Monday.

“This is one of the most iconic places in the world,” Tarik Sheppard, deputy chief of the NYPD’s press office, said at the press conference. “We’re talking about Central Park. There is an expectation to keep this place safe. And that’s exactly what we intend to do. Today an incident occurred, but we assure you that we will keep Central Park safe.”

Patrol Chief Chell, who gave details of the attack, added: “Right now we are searching every part of the park for any witnesses or evidence we might find.”