By Daniel Katzive
A woman was the victim of an attempted rape Tuesday at around 5:15pm in Riverside Park near West 87th Street. Members of the public witnessed the attack and called 911, resulting in the arrest of a suspect.
Deputy Inspector Naoki Yaguchi, commanding officer of the 24th Precinct, spoke about the incident at the precinct’s monthly Community Council meeting and praised passersby who came to the victim’s aid. The attack occurred near the Soldiers and Sailors monument on Riverside Drive, not long after sunset.
An NYPD public information officer provided additional details, confirming that a 25-year old suspect was arrested near the scene with help from witnesses. The suspect, Christopher Cedeno, was identified by the police as a resident of 330 West 95th Street, a supportive housing facility for formerly homeless veterans.
Inspector Yaguchi indicated the suspect is known to police and had been arrested before.
Cedeno was charged with attempted rape and sexual abuse according to court records. Bail was set at $50,000 bond or $25,000 cash but was not posted. Department of Corrections records show the suspect is currently being held on Rikers Island pending his next court appearance on November 21.
So glad no one got hurt.
I’m glad someone intervened. People nowadays prefer not to, other than recording crime on their phone.
I feel horrible for the victim and hope they are OK. Kudos to those who spoke up and I’m glad NYPD got him.
Also good to hear that he is at Rikers and not walking the streets. And that his court date is soon. As much as I want those who are accused of committing violent crimes or repeat crimes to be locked up, I also think they deserve a quick trial.
Please post a photo. We need to be able to recognize him when he’s returned to the neighborhood.
“Inspector Yaguchi indicated the suspect is known to police and had been arrested before.”
I expected as much.
I think that judges should have discretion whether or not to set bail. In a situation like this where the suspect is known to have prior arrests and where he was violent, I would prefer that he be locked up without the opportunity to be set free on bail. On the other hand, if someone who has no history of prior crimes and did not commit a violent act, then a judge (with input from a mental health professional) should feel free to set bail or even release the suspect at his own recognizance with ongoing check-in requirements.
“New York remains the only state in the nation where in setting bail, judges cannot take into account whether a person arrested for a crime is a danger to the community.”
— New York Times – November 16, 2022
So sad! Awful attack (and great intervention) but the suspect is a formerly homeless Vet possibly with other issues? Who had secured precious supported housing? Hope he is found someplace whence he can do no further harm, of course. But SMH. Best wishes for recovery to the victim.
I remember people complaining about supportive housing in the area. Have that many incidents been traced back to people in those facilities?
Glad it was stopped, and thanks to the bystanders who intervened. I hope he was interrupted before the victim was badly injured, physically or mentally.
“Bail was set at $50,000 bond or $25,000 cash but was not posted.”
If he had posted the bond, would you be happy he’s out? If not, then you don’t actually support the bail system. Just saying.
Excellent point. Too many people believe that an accused person who can afford to pay bail is magically prevented from committing crime while awaiting trial. Bail is intended solely to incentivize appearance in court, but before bail reform was enacted, frequently amounted to pre-trial detention only of those too poor to afford it.
Alan, you do realize that if someone reoffends in a bail situation that they forfeit the bail, right? So if this mope were to post $25k bail, and have the urge to rape again, he’d have to think “gee, maybe this isn’t worth losing my (or my family’s) $25k over.”
Hot take (one that I have brought up before): if one is a repeat/serious offender, one should be kicked out of supportive housing.
Because throwing offenders – generally the least of us – fully out on the streets works well? Then you can post complaints asking why the police or the mayor aren’t cleaning up our streets.
Offenders shouldn’t be released until they’ve served their sentence. While incarcerated, programs to help them function within society should be mandatory. Once their sentences have been served, they should have opportunities and also bear oversight to assure assimilation with substantial penalties for recidivism. The BS of being out of custody without bail before a cop’s paperwork is even filed has to stop.
A cautionary tale for those in favor of yet even more “supportive housing” in the neighborhood
Thanks to the bystanders and the NYPD
The quicker he has a trial, the quicker they find him guilty. Hope he gets a long sentence. Better yet, throw away the key. Rapists don’t stop trying to rape again. Hope he never sees the light of day.
1- glad people intervened
2- why would a rapist even been given bail??
3- just another sign we have WAY too many homeless shelters/pseudo mental institutions on the UWS. The city takes advantage knowing it’s a traditionally very liberal community. All you have do is walk Broadway from W72-W110 to get a flavor of what’s happening.
This man is said to be ” well known ” to nypd. In fact he has been previously arrested for sec related offenses ( forcible touching ) and released with no follow up. Women are not safe to walk their dogs, or exercise bc the Manhattan Da does not value the rights of law abiding citizens.
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Most importantly, I hope the victim of this crime is managing and getting help to deal with the emotional aftermath.
Thank you to the thoughtful fellow citizens for being upstanders and not bystanders, and helping to save her from an even worse fate.
And thank you to the police for doing your job well.
In my fantasy, this dangerous individual should not be permitted to coexist among the public ever again or at least until there’s enough valid evidence that he’s been rehabilitated and can be trusted not to reoffend, which I doubt is the case with very many rapists.
My old neighborhood. Thomas Wolfe was right. “You Can’t go Home Again.”
Welcome to the NEW NYC.
It is hard to count how many crimes of various sorts have been prevented by provision of supportive housing providing basic needs and facilitating access to medical, mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
This is the 2ND VIOLENT crime of a resident staying at a homeless shelter on the UWS.
For those don’t recall – the first was the shooting of a tourist. The criminal was staying at a homeless shelter and had a gun.
Do we, the taxpayers, who live here have any rights? Do we have any rights to a safe neighborhood?
Why are criminals allowed to bring guns into homeless shelters? Is there no metal detector to walk in?
Why are we housing sex offenders in the neighborhood that has children?
Folks, if you want to protect our women, our elderly and our children – please call our city council woman – Gale Brewer –
212-873-0282
Gale A. Brewer represents the 6th Council District, encompassing most of the Upper West Side up to 108th Street west of Broadway, a part of Clinton (to West 54th St) and all of Central Park.
It might be good to come on here and complain, but I ask you to make a phone call please.