Morningside Heights man arrested in connection with attempted rape in Central Park, NYPD says

Police have arrested a 43-year-old Morningside Heights man in connection with the attempted rape of a 21-year-old woman who was sunbathing in a secluded part of Central Park, officials said Wednesday.

The arrest came on the same day that the number of rapes in the city reached its highest level in five years, according to NYPD crime statistics.

Jermaine Longmire was arrested on June 26, two days after the alleged attack in Central Park, on additional sex offenses, according to Criminal Investigation Chief Joseph Kenny, who spoke at a press conference on Wednesday.

Kenny said Longmire has been charged with several other incidents dating back to 2023. While Longmire was being held on bail, Kenny said Longmire’s DNA was tested and was also found on the sunbather’s bikini bottoms.

Attempts to identify Longmire’s lawyer were not immediately successful.

He pleaded not guilty to two sex crimes related to the alleged Central Park attack and not guilty to the previous sexual abuse charges, officials said.

The attack in Central Park caused several witnesses to panic and call 911, officials said. That prompted the New York Police Department to call in numerous officers and detectives from multiple precincts and units, including the emergency unit and bloodhounds.

“Investigators immediately fanned out to interview any potential witnesses,” Kenny said at Wednesday’s press conference. “Investigators were able to conduct a video recording to follow this individual to West 104th Street, where they were able to capture video from inside a business.”

Kenny said police then used facial recognition to link Longmire to two other sexual assault suspects, in which he groped women’s buttocks while riding the subway.

According to Michael LiPetri, head of the crime prevention strategies division, the arrest came at a time when the number of rapes in the city is increasing.

According to crime statistics released on Wednesday, there have been 136 rapes so far this year, a five-year high. Another 39 rapes from previous years were also reported this year, which is also a five-year high, according to police statistics.

LiPetri did not elaborate on the factors behind the increase in rapes this year, other than pointing to an increase in the number of people reporting previous rapes. However, statistics showed that both reported and suspected rapes this year were at a five-year high.