The Central Park creep behind the brazen sex assault of a female sunbather on Monday afternoon is now the subject of a major police manhunt.
According to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, the disturbing incident unfolded at around 1:30 p.m. in the Great Hills section of the park, located at West Drive and West 104th Street.
Chell reported that a 21-year-old female sunbather was lying alone on a lawn when the pervert approached her and exposed himself.
“She screams and gets up to run,” Chell said. “He tackles her from behind.”
Police say the sicko attempted to straddle the victim, but she was able to fight him off and escape.
EMS rushed the woman to a local hospital for an evaluation and is being interviewed by members of the Special Victims Division.
Meanwhile, coops are looking for the perpetrator, whom police described as a man in his 30s with curly hair, standing about 6 feet tall. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt and shorts fleeing southbound along the West Drive.
“Right now, we are searching every part of this park for witnesses and evidence,” Chief Chell announced. “We are cutting the park into pieces.”
NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry also stated that police will be using drone technology to search for the suspect.
Anyone with information regarding the attack can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
