West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT
    • GET WSR FREE IN YOUR INBOX
    • SEND US TIPS AND IDEAS
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
SUPPORT THE RAG
No Result
View All Result

Favorite WSR Stories

  • UWS Church Raises Over $200,000 for 107th Street Fire Victims: ‘Everyone Lost Everything’
  • Owner of Pit Bulls that Attacked Penny the Chihuahua on UWS in May is Arrested in NY Courtroom
  • This Giving Tuesday Help Sustain West Side Rag
Get WSR FREE in your inbox
SUPPORT THE RAG

EX-CON CHARGED WITH CENTRAL PARK SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ROBBERY

October 13, 2016 | 4:01 PM - Updated on June 5, 2022 | 11:29 PM
in CRIME, NEWS, OUTDOORS
15

central park

Police used the Find My iPhone app to help them track a man they say sexually assaulted a jogger in Central Park on Monday night around 10:30. The stolen cell phone led them to the Bronx where they arrested 26-year-old Forest Richardson, according to the Daily News.

He is accused of putting the woman in a bear hug as she walked through the park near 110th Street on the East side, then threatening to cut her throat if she screamed. He groped her and pulled down her pants, but “couldn’t perform” and ran off with her phone, police told the News.

Richardson had previously been arrested for other assaults and sex crimes, according to the Daily News. We have an inquiry into the DA’s office to determine which of those arrests have resulted in convictions. In 2014, he was initially charged with rape, assault and unlawful imprisonment, according to the News, but eventually pleaded guilty to third-degree assault.

Share this article:
SUPPORT THE RAG
Leave a comment

Please limit comments to 150 words and keep them civil and relevant to the article at hand. Comments are closed after six days. Our primary goal is to create a safe and respectful space where a broad spectrum of voices can be heard. We welcome diverse viewpoints and encourage readers to engage critically with one another’s ideas, but never at the expense of civility. Disagreement is expected—even encouraged—but it must be expressed with care and consideration. Comments that take cheap shots, escalate conflict, or veer into ideological warfare detract from the constructive spirit we aim to cultivate. A detailed statement on comments and WSR policy can be read here.

guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

15 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
ron shapley
ron shapley
9 years ago

Good work NYPD !!

0
Reply
Scott
Scott
9 years ago
Reply to  ron shapley

Sadly it will be undone by our justice system, which is run by liberal maniacs who think it’s perfectly reasonable to offer plea deals for recidivist rapists.

0
Reply
UWSHebrew
UWSHebrew
9 years ago

I hope this guy gets locked up for years. 30 prior arrests at the age of 26 means you are a feral animal and you do not belong free in society.

0
Reply
B.B.
B.B.
9 years ago
Reply to  UWSHebrew

Sadly this is true, but isn’t the fault of LE or even the court system. Instead blame rest with the NYS governor and legislature.

Unlike say the federal system NYS uses indeterminate sentencing instead of determinate. Result being vast power is placed with the parole board, and the possibility of convicted criminals gaming the system to be released early. Once out they usually go right back to doing what they were doing and it is “later, rinse and repeat”.

New York State believes in the “rehabilitation” of convicted criminals thus sees use of indeterminate sentencing as a tool to promote. That is if a convict is sentenced to 5-15 years he/she knows if they play their cards right their sentence will be at the lower end.

For a while it seemed as various “three strikes” laws would put an end to this revolving door of criminals. But various legal rulings including from the SCOTUS (IIRC) have all but gutted such laws.

0
Reply
UWS minimalist
UWS minimalist
9 years ago
Reply to  UWSHebrew

Gotta agree with you there, if guilty he should be put away long enough to (hopefully) learn a lesson this time.
Some people just can’t be allowed to mix with the rest of society.

0
Reply
dannyboy
dannyboy
9 years ago

Jimbo, stand down.

you can go back to the doobie-thing.

0
Reply
Jen
Jen
9 years ago

“Richardson has numerous prior arrests, including busts for rape in 2013 and 2014, officials said”
So he had been arrested for rape 2 and 3 years ago and is out. Why would he be put in jail this time? The system is broken, judges and DAs are bored with cases that don’t make their career. He will be out again.

0
Reply
Deborah
Deborah
9 years ago
Reply to  Jen

Crimes against women are not considered hate crimes and they don’t carry lengthy sentences.

0
Reply
Jimbo
Jimbo
9 years ago

HANG HIM HIGH………………..perps like this will ALWAYS be preds……..

0
Reply
Sarah
Sarah
9 years ago

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they caught him (and wonder if he was involved in any of the other recent CP assaults?), but it’s funny to read NYPD calling themselves “Truly the greatest Detectives in the World!” off the arrest of someone when they literally just had to use Find my iPhone to find him.

0
Reply
B.B.
B.B.
9 years ago
Reply to  Sarah

Anyone who owns an iPhone or other similar devices needs to have one of those locator apps. Time and time again they have proven quite useful in tracking down stolen phones, tablets, and so forth.

This time it was the perp (who obviously wasn’t very bright to keep the thing), who had the phone. Often you find the thing has been fenced and or already sold via CL, eBay or other transactions.

0
Reply
Sarah
Sarah
9 years ago
Reply to  B.B.

Yes, obviously I don’t want to make light of a situation that was legitimately terrifying for the woman involved, but this guy was the least competent would-be rapist imaginable. He’s lucky he didn’t go after the woman who head-butted and bit her attacker a few months ago; she probably would’ve put him in the hospital.

0
Reply
9d8b7988045e4953a882
9d8b7988045e4953a882
9 years ago

I would say that this individual has earned the right to subsidized housing for life–in the form of prison.

0
Reply
B.B.
B.B.
9 years ago
Reply to  9d8b7988045e4953a882

Nice but likely won’t happen.

This is how things usually go…

Most all criminal cases in NYC are plea bargained down one or maybe two levels. This is unless the DA feels they have an airtight case and can thus “lean” on the accused to take the plea. Otherwise should they go to trail and win the state will press for maximum sentence.

As noted above the suspect has committed serious crimes before, and pleaded guilty to lesser offenses.

Sad truth is that if every criminal defendant in NYC (or NYS for that matter) demanded a trail the criminal justice system would grind to a halt. Everyone involved with LE, courts, DA offices and so forth knows this.

Plea bargaining is so common whenever the question of a criminal record comes up(say for a background check), those in the know look not only at convictions, but the underlying charges. If you notice now the media doesn’t even always mention convictions but goes with arrest record.

0
Reply
Howard Freeman
Howard Freeman
9 years ago

Daily News article reported also that he pled down on charges after holding a girl for 15 DAYS AGAINST HER WILL IN HIS APARTMENT. He is one very sick individual. He cannot be allowed out for a long, long, long time.

0
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

UWS Church Raises Over $200,000 for 107th Street Fire Victims: ‘Everyone Lost Everything’
Favorite WSR Stories

UWS Church Raises Over $200,000 for 107th Street Fire Victims: ‘Everyone Lost Everything’

December 15, 2025 | 12:24 PM
Central Park Covered in Snow: See Photos
OUTDOORS

Central Park Covered in Snow: See Photos

December 15, 2025 | 12:19 PM
Previous Post

WEST END AVENUE HALLOWEEN DISPLAY ACHIEVES PEAK ZOMBIE-DEVIL MADNESS

Next Post

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM’S SCRAPS PLAN TO MOVE TO DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT, BUT COULD STILL LEAVE

this week's events image
Next Post
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM’S SCRAPS PLAN TO MOVE TO DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT, BUT COULD STILL LEAVE

CHILDREN'S MUSEUM'S SCRAPS PLAN TO MOVE TO DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT, BUT COULD STILL LEAVE

ORDER A PLATTER AT GRISTEDES FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT (SPONSORED)

ORDER A PLATTER AT GRISTEDES FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT (SPONSORED)

THE PUMPKINS THAT SAVED THE UPPER WEST SIDE

THE PUMPKINS THAT SAVED THE UPPER WEST SIDE

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT US
    • GET WSR FREE IN YOUR INBOX
    • SEND US TIPS AND IDEAS
  • WSR SHOP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.