A police sketch of one of the suspects in a potential hate crime in Central Park.
A female jogger who was leaving Central Park shortly after midnight on Monday says she was hit by a pellet and then harassed by a group of people making “anti-white statements,” according to police.
The 36-year-old woman was hit in the back of the head by a pellet that may have been shot from an air gun as she exited the park around 60th street and West Drive, police told Gothamist. “She further stated that she observed three male blacks and two female blacks laughing and making anti-white statements towards the victim. The suspects then fled further into the park.”
“Police say three suspects are males, approximately 15-20 years old who were last seen wearing dark clothes, while two female suspects are described as being 15-20 years old, also last seen wearing dark clothing. The NYPD released video of three of the suspects leaving the scene and a sketch of a female suspect who yelled at the victim.”
See the video below:
If you know anything about the crime, contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
I am surprised that there are no comments blaming the victim yet.
Just a few pre-emptive points:
– Crime should not be accepted as inevitable. That type of attitude helped contribute to the last crime wave. Good law enforcement, patrolling, and punishing the offenders works.
– Central Park is open until 1am every day, and the victim was completely within her rights being there.
I’ll take the bait. As I stated in the other thread, Central Park is not a nice place after midnight. It’s open until 1 am, and you are well within your rights to be there. That doesn’t mean that it’s just as safe to walk around as it is at 3 in the afternoon.
What is your solution? It would be extremely difficult to patrol the park at night given its size and complexity of paths, trails, etc. You would need dozens of officers to protect a handful of people scattered around the park.
The park is slowly becoming safer at night but the fact is that the park will always be more dangerous at night, common sense for most people who live here, especially those of us who have lived here a long time.
If the culprits are found will they be charged with a hate crime?
The hate crime unit is involved in the investigation. WSR
I’m glad the jogger is fine. But I would also not tempt faith by running so late. There’s tons of idiots out there that come out at night.
Central Park may be open til 1am but it is not a smart idea to go jogging at midnight. Especially if you’re female. It’s just common sense. I wouldn’t dream of jogging or walking through Central Park late at night by myself. That said, the jogger didn’t deserve to be victimized and I hope she fully recovers (and thinks about getting a gym membership if she wants to jog or workout that late. It’s safer.)
I think people who are tired of being harassed by criminals should hold a march down CPW to express our outrage with lawlessness. I will ask bill Deblasio, Al Sharpton and the heads of the teachers unions to support us….
I am not blaming the victim. BUT, as a born and raised New Yorker, I know that Central Park has never been and will never be safe after dark. A sensible person, let alone a woman, would not venture into any park in NYC at such an hour, not just because of crime but because of the large amount of rats that run free in this city.
While above was prefaced with not blaming the victim, what came after sure sounds like blame to me.
When these horrible things happen I am always struck at the left wing silence , because if the situation was reversed, I think we would hear outrage….
Yes, all could roam all over the city at all hours of night…. In a Perfect World. Which we do not live in. So, that being said people should just use a bit of common sense and street smarts. I mean really?! I don’t know anyone who would have argued about using common sense walking around the South Bronx once upon a time. Central Park can be very isolated and dangerous at night, regardless if you have the right to walk, jog, or hang out in the park after dark. It may be a right but you take your chances! Period!
U nailed it. Had this female victim gotten more viciously assaulted and been armed, and used her gun to shoot one of the, ahem – Five assailants in Central Park- the outrage from the grievance industry and sadly our elected officials would be deafening.
The Central Park 5 have been exonerated. Someone else confessed.
@MarchMen Yes, the solution to everything is to use a Gun. And being hit with a BB gun definitely deserves one to retaliate by using a Gun to shoot them dead. Every offence deserves the death penalty. Don’t worry that all those missed shots might hit innocent people like always happens. Just ask Suge Knight.
Runners who run at midnight in CP all run on the main roadway which is patrolled by the NYC police cars. Which explains why the incident happened as she was leaving the park by the Trump Hotel and police station.
Also runners run outdoors because they enjoy it so going to a gym is not an option.
And for all the whites complaining don’t worry next month school starts and soon enough a student will shoot the place up Columbine style. And no mention of that kid(s) being white will be mentioned. So it’s a wash. Same thing happens with serial killers! Drops the mic…
Bryan – where is there any comment on the thread that calls for gun retaliation?
The question remains open as to why the silence and double standard when crimes are committed by blacks against whites? especially when the perpetrators bring up race.
I’m not sure about that. If this woman had been “viciously assaulted” and shot a black woman or man in self defense I don’t think even Rev Sharpton would intervene I’m that way.
There is definitely a double standard when it comes to race, anti-white statements rarely make the news. Shouldn’t they be held in the same regard as when an anti-black slur is used? I do hope that WHEN these morons are found they do bring up hate crime charges.
That seems to be happening a lot. A guy in Fairways slicing smoked salmon was so rude yesterday. Unfortunately the press only report the police (cowboys) killing black victims.They shoot plenty of whites but the stories don’t get aired.
I swear it’s a plot to get everyone to hate each other.. Divide and conquer. Awful.
Any area that seems isolated may be dangerous at any time. Retreat to an area with people present, such as Central Park West, or confront the cowards and humble them.
While it is awful the victim was being shot at by a pellet gun at least it wasn’t a full on gun. It seems like a case of stupid juveniles carrying a pellet/bb pistol that looks just like a .45 Magnum. Sill a crime is a crime and I hope they get caught. We should strive to make our city safe 24 hours a day and not blame the victim on “being stupid” by being out in the park after midnight. Maybe the victim was just off from a late shift?
NOTE: To avoid being confused with a different poster who uses the handle “observer” (note the lower-case o), I have decided to add ‘Independent’ to mine.
Yes, going-to (or remaining in) Central Park (or just about any other urban park, for that matter) late at night is not terribly prudent. All the more so for a female alone. (Or, for that matter, a still-ripe-for-being-Sodomized male).
But that does not lessen or mitigate the culpability of the perpetrators. Not one bit. Preying-upon the less-than-prudent is no less a crime– legally or morally– than is preying-upon the most-prudent.
Is it really so difficult to grasp that these two points are in no way mutually-exclusive?
Furthermore, a circular reasoning of sorts is evidenced here. For if not for the danger posed by thugs such as the ones who attacked the woman in the incident reported here, being at a park at any hour wouldn’t be imprudent in the first place.