Central Park Assault Puts NYPD Safety Claims to Test

A 39-year-old woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in Central Park on Saturday evening, Oct. 24, and taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said. The New York City Police Department said a man approached her near East 66th Street and Fifth Avenue, displayed a knife and assaulted her. No arrest had been made, and the investigation was ongoing.

“I typically avoid coming to Central Park at night,” said Jetmir Shala, a 37-year-old resident manager who lives nearby. “I mean, look, I'm 6-6, 240 [pounds], you know? I can defend myself. But the thing is, if it's my wife, I tell her to stay away.” For people who live beside the park, the immediate calculation is not an official safety promise but where they can walk, and when.

The police account, and the public's risk

Police said they were called at about 9:30 p.m. They haven't released a description of the suspect. The New York Post reported a different location and time: near East 67th Street and Fifth Avenue, around 8:30 p.m. The newspaper also reported that the woman was dragged into a wooded area and that the attacker fled. Law-enforcement sources told the Post the preliminary investigation indicated the woman didn't know her attacker.

The Post described the assault as the fifth sex attack in Central Park's precinct area so far this year, compared with three rapes in the same region by that point in 2025. Its report said citywide rape reports had risen nearly 3%, reaching 1,693 through Oct. 18, 2026, compared with 1,650 over the same period in 2025.

Police officials attributed the increase in rape reports to changes in state law that expanded the legal definition of rape. The reported numbers, the legal definition and the police account each describe a different part of the picture; none changes the immediate fact that the attacker remained at large and the investigation was still open.

A park people avoid

A separate incident reported by NBC New York involved three men attacking a woman riding her bicycle through the park in the evening. They struck her in the head, and one grabbed her bag before they fled. She fought back and suffered minor injuries to her face, neck and back.

Retired executive Shirley Kessel, 65, said she had been told for years to avoid the park after dark. “I've been coming to New York for most of my life, and I just have been told over the years to never go in the park at dark. That's how I grew up thinking. There's certain streets you don't walk down in New York City at night, and you don't go in the park.”

Marketing executive Anna Brockway, 55, who lives part-time across from the park, said she saw “a lot of guys who kind of crash out there, drinking, sleeping.” She said, “At night, when I walk my dog, I go around the corner. I try not to walk next to the park.” An unnamed 42-year-old Manhattan resident described a broader unease: “The whole city, I'm just getting a weird vibe from the last couple of years. I don't know. Nobody gives a f–k anymore.”

Official promises, police-led answers

City Council Speaker Julie Menin condemned the assault on X. “I am outraged by this horrific act of violence,” she wrote. “My thoughts are with the survivor, and I hope she makes a full recovery. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in our city. The perpetrator remains at large, but I have confidence that the NYPD will work swiftly to apprehend him and bring him to justice.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke to the Post at a get-out-the-vote rally in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Sunday. “All crimes are tragedies, and we are working hard with the NYPD to drive down every incident like this. It's not acceptable. It's not acceptable. People should feel safe when they go to our parks.” The official response centers on the NYPD's work and the promise of apprehension; residents meanwhile describe changing their routes and keeping away from the park after dark. The suspect hadn't been arrested, and the investigation remained ongoing.