New York City, New York: Police Hunt Man Pictured After Knifepoint Sexual Assault in Central Park

Police in New York City are asking the public to help identify a man pictured in surveillance images released by the NYPD after a woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in Central Park on Saturday night, Oct. 24. PIX11 reported on Tuesday morning, Oct. 27, that police are working with new clues in the case and released new photos and video of the suspect in the hope that someone can identify him. No arrest had been made as of Monday night, according to the New York Post.

The attack happened at about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday near East 67th Street and East Drive, by Fifth Avenue, the NYPD said. A man approached a 39-year-old woman, displayed a knife and dragged her into a wooded area, where he sexually assaulted her, according to police accounts carried by the Post and East Side Feed. A bystander called 911, the suspect fled on foot, and emergency crews took the woman to a hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.

Images show a man dressed in black

The images released on Monday show the suspect in a black hooded jacket, black pants and a black backpack, with gray sneakers in one account of the release. Separate video captured him walking on a sidewalk with earbuds in his hands, the Post reported. Law enforcement sources told the Post that the woman did not appear to know her attacker. The NYPD has not released a written description beyond the images, and the man has not been identified.

Fifth case reported in the precinct this year

The assault was the fifth rape reported this year in the NYPD Central Park Precinct, up from three in the same period in 2025, according to department data cited by the Post. CBS News reported that overall crime in the park has risen by about 20 percent from last year. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the attack horrific on Monday and said every New Yorker should be able to walk anywhere in the city and be safe, East Side Feed reported.

Council Member Virginia Maloney, who represents the Upper East Side, said it was the second reported attack on a woman on the east side of the park in a week. On Oct. 18, a 32-year-old woman said three men punched her and took her backpack after she stopped her bike to pick up dropped earbuds, according to East Side Feed. No arrests had been made in that case as of Sunday.

What happens next

Reports said officers have increased patrols on park paths and in wooded areas while detectives canvass for video and witnesses. Anyone who recognizes the man in the NYPD images is asked to contact Crime Stoppers. Police have not said whether they expect an arrest soon, and the woman has not been named, which is standard in a sexual assault case.