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Woman Sexually Assaulted, Robbed in Riverside Park Thursday Morning: NYPD

It's the second sexual assault in Riverside Park this week, NYPD said.

July 20, 2023 | 9:10 AM
in CRIME, NEWS
55
Riverside Park near 59th Street, site of Thursday morning assault. Photo by Joy Bergmann.

By Joy Bergmann

A man attacked a 33-year-old woman in Riverside Park around 4:45 a.m. Thursday morning, an NYPD spokesperson told WSR.

Police said the woman was walking in the park in the area of 59th Street and the Hudson River when the man approached her, tackled her to the ground and grabbed her breasts. When the woman attempted to call 911, the man stole her phone. He also stole a chain off of her neck during the struggle before leaving northbound from the scene. NYPD characterized the crimes as “completed sexual assault” and “completed robbery.”

The victim was taken to a local hospital to be checked out, police said.

NYPD described the attacker as a man with a dark complexion wearing a red shirt.

Another Riverside Park sexual assault occurred on Wednesday, July 19, the spokesperson said.

In that incident, a 38-year-old woman was jogging in the park in the area of 89th Street at around 10:00 p.m. A man on a bicycle approached her, pushed the woman to the ground, touched her breasts and buttocks and then pulled down his shorts, exposing his genitals, police said.

The woman screamed and the man took off. That victim was treated at a local hospital for minor cuts and bruises, NYPD said, characterizing the crime as an “attempted rape.”

NYPD described that suspect as a Hispanic male with a light complexion who wore a red jersey with the number 40 on it.

WSR recently described an incident of a man grabbing a female jogger on the morning of June 27 in the area of 70th Street in Riverside Park.

Anyone with information in regard to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

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Jim D
Jim D
1 year ago

If our completely useless park rangers would stop looking for dogs off leash and concentrate on actual crimes this wouldn’t happen.

27
Reply
jules
jules
1 year ago
Reply to  Jim D

I doubt that would happen… you’d need to have an army of police walking about the city to catch all the aggressors these days.. Only pace I’ve ever seen cops is in large groups outside subway stations… !
It would definitely help to add more cameras throughout the city in order to deter these attackers / thieves.

Last edited 1 year ago by jules
11
Reply
Longtime UWSer
Longtime UWSer
1 year ago
Reply to  Jim D

How many rangers would it take to monitor every few yards of the park? Come on. A word to women walkers and joggers: please consider running and/or walking with a partner, especially in early or later hours and most especially when it’s dark outside. Since I moved to NYC decades ago, these unwritten rules have been been common knowledge among women. Maybe it’s not fair, but it continues to be our reality.

41
Reply
David Jay
David Jay
1 year ago
Reply to  Longtime UWSer

This. Also, don’t ever run with AirPods/headphones on, especially at night.

24
Reply
jules
jules
1 year ago
Reply to  Longtime UWSer

Exactly! You’d never hang out in Riverside Park or Central Park when it was deserted! And on the subways we’d never make eye-contact with anyone especially at night!!

10
Reply
Orli
Orli
1 year ago
Reply to  jules

Agreed. But we should be able to be places without being attacked. Period.

0
Reply
Janeen
Janeen
1 year ago
Reply to  Jim D

If our useless DA would keep criminals in jail this wouldn’t happen.

53
Reply
Jonathan
Jonathan
1 year ago
Reply to  Janeen

Nonsense. The DA is bound by state laws regarding bail. And bail is set by judges, not the DA. And bail reform wasn’t wrong, it just needs to go further. Ability to pay the bond should not determine who gets bailed out pending trial and who doesn’t. State law needs to be amended to allow defendants who can reasonably viewed as dangerous to remain incarcerated. Believe it or not, the law does not allow judges to consider that — at least not officially.

17
Reply
Alfonse
Alfonse
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonathan

He needs to better exercise jurisprudence.

5
Reply
Sharon Jaffe
Sharon Jaffe
1 year ago
Reply to  Janeen

If DA Bragg refuses to protect women, women have to protect themselves. Not victim blaming, it’s the system blaming. Women have been victimized via violent assaults (including domestic violence) in greater numbers than men since serious crimes have been downgraded.

28
Reply
EdNY
EdNY
1 year ago
Reply to  Janeen

So you know that the perpetrator had been released from jail?

9
Reply
Anne
Anne
1 year ago

It’s a disservice to the next generations that when these crimes occur no one dares bring up “whatever happened to street smarts?” Everyone definitely feels empathy for the victims, but in the 70s we had “street smarts”— EVERYONE is safer with emphasis on street smarts. Somewhere the useful lessons got lost and were automatically labeled “victim blaming”— the point is not blaming but victim empowerment by keeping oneself out of dangerous situations.

36
Reply
Sam Katz
Sam Katz
1 year ago
Reply to  Anne

You’re both victim blaming. You are saying that men are natural sexual aggressors when in reality the vast majority of men would never dream of sexually assaulting a woman. There is no reason both men and women should be assaulted in any location or at any time of day or night.

22
Reply
Anon
Anon
1 year ago
Reply to  Sam Katz

Anne isn’t saying most men are sexual aggressors. You only need one to ruin your life even in 4 billion are great guys. I don’t think most people are theives but I lock my doors. I don’t think most drivers run red lights but I look before crossing the street. It’s self preservation.

17
Reply
RealNewYorker
RealNewYorker
1 year ago
Reply to  Anne

Like button not working for me, I agree completely!!! My street smarts saved me a few times in the ‘70s, and that was on main streets. I would never do what these woman did. Not that they deserved it, but they did make it very easy. Did they lock their apartment door? That is no different than avoiding these activities at this time & place.

10
Reply
Kelly
Kelly
1 year ago
Reply to  RealNewYorker

So in your opinion, what time IS safe? Women are attacked while jogging during the day all of the time. So really curious as to what being “street smart” means when it comes to jogging/walking in one’s local park.

4
Reply
Patricia Gilman
Patricia Gilman
1 year ago

I don’t understand why people are in the park at 4:45 in the morning or 10PM at night – it’s dangerous. And what Jim D said is right as well – stop worrying about dogs off leash and patrol the damn park for people who shouldn’t be there.

27
Reply
Eric
Eric
1 year ago
Reply to  Patricia Gilman

Thank God someone said it. In a perfect world, it would be nice to walk in the park alone after dark or at sunrise when it is empty. BUT, common sense dictates differently. I’m not victim blaming, but I do advise caution, in NYC or anywhere.

11
Reply
Sam Katz
Sam Katz
1 year ago
Reply to  Patricia Gilman

Sorry, but dogs off leash attack people, bite people, get bitten themselves, get lost, get run over, attack birds, kill wildlife, crap all over the place, their urine kills plants, and they dig up plants and grass and make the park a mess. And I am a dog lover and former owner. You cannot know if a person “shouldn’t be” in a public park. What’s that supposed to mean? People have a right to run early or in the middle of the night if they choose. Some people work the night shift and walk whenever. It is absurd for you to blame the victims and now blame the Parks Department or the police. TRY BLAMING THE CRIMINALS. I am so sick of this “let’s blame the victim because he/she doesn’t keep MY schedule!” Get over yourself.

28
Reply
Cathy Bernstein
Cathy Bernstein
1 year ago
Reply to  Patricia Gilman

Patricia, as a mom, I understand what you said.
I hear you loud and clear…

But, we don’t live in Afghanistan, or some other country where the women follows the camel who follows the man.

The better question to ask is why does this continue to happen?

Let me talk about a different story, a man was picked up by an ambulance on the Upper West side. He then went and stabbed, multiple times, an EMT worker, a woman.

This man, had been arrested before.
And stay with me here because I’m going to ask you to make a phone call at the end.

He had been arrested before for criminal possession of a weapon.

He had been arrested before for assault.

He had been arrested before for menacing

He had been arrested before for robbery

Until the state assembly leaders change the laws and make an offense jailable, this will continue to happen.

Appreciate you commenting here, but join me in respectfully and politely reaching out to your state assembly leader and tell them what’s going on with women being attacked.

We need to protect the victims, not criminals.

Carl Heastie
718-654-6539
518-455-3791

49
Reply
Pat
Pat
1 year ago
Reply to  Cathy Bernstein

Very useful comment. I too will call

4
Reply
Please protect yourself.
Please protect yourself.
1 year ago
Reply to  Cathy Bernstein

“why does this continue to happen?” Because there are criminals. There are mentally ill people. There are people who want to do you harm. On aversge women are smaller and weaker thsn men so they are easy targets. This has nothing to do with sexism or women following camels.

14
Reply
Pat
Pat
1 year ago
Reply to  Please protect yourself.

Precisely

1
Reply
RealNewYorker
RealNewYorker
1 year ago
Reply to  Patricia Gilman

Agree completely!

1
Reply
Alissa Michelin Nierenberg
Alissa Michelin Nierenberg
1 year ago

Pls do not go in the park when it is dark outside. Especially alone!!!

19
Reply
Susan
Susan
1 year ago

I never believe in blaming the victims for the vicious, disgusting behavior of men who violently sexually assault women. However, I wish our parks were safe enough for women to visit them alone at 10:00 pm or 4:45 am but, unfortunately, they are not. Those are times when few other people are around, let alone police/park rangers. I hope other women will consider alternative times to exercise in order to avoid possibly also being assaulted by the worst examples of men in our society.

22
Reply
Mandy W
Mandy W
1 year ago
Reply to  Susan

I agree that there is no blame whatsoever to attach to these victims. I truly feel for young women in their early and mid 20s, however, who may have grown up in a New York with a very different feel in the early 2000-2015 years. For whatever economic and social reasons, many streets and parks in and around modest to well-off neighborhoods had no feeling of danger ever in those years – after dark was peaceful and the wee hours felt free. Those young people did not need to learn the fears and cautions we need these days (and have needed in other decades). There has been such and upheaval since then, especially since the pandemic – such displacement in employment, housing, services – some things are getting much better now, but no question that the ebb and flow of the most unsettled, unbalanced, and also most trouble-seeking people among us affects all our neighborhoods.

13
Reply
Eric
Eric
1 year ago
Reply to  Mandy W

You’re kidding yourself. Being alone in the parks after dark was not safe 15-20 years ago. I’ve lived on the park (in the West 70s) for 43 years and NEVER would I enter at dawn or after dark alone.

9
Reply
Trish
Trish
1 year ago
Reply to  Eric

I agree. I’d never go in there after dark. I even feel uncomfortable midmorning dog walks if there aren’t many people around. Lots of creeps. This applies to any park, anywhere. Ladies—no one cares more about your safety than you. Being a woman means you’re vulnerable, unless you have a weapon you’re proficient at using.

2
Reply
Jay
Jay
1 year ago

Technically, that’s not Riverside Park, it’s Riverside Park South, which is a different, if connected, park, well “park”.

The second incident was within Riverside Park.

3
Reply
peter
peter
1 year ago

I am sorry to read about both victims. I hope they will be OK.

17
Reply
Mike UWS
Mike UWS
1 year ago

Take out the piled garbage from our noble precints of City Hall, its Council & DA’s august offices on next elections cycle and hope to behold a reminagined firmament of QOL & revanchment of sanity, public safety, and confinement & help for those needing humane rehabilitation options for our bretheren requiring extra care in the interests of general civil comity hopefully all without polarizing radical politicizations of common interests , values and mutual good will. (Hi WSR editor 😀 .. thanks for the public service of your wonderul commercial format & comments space.

2
Reply
EricaC
EricaC
1 year ago
Reply to  Mike UWS

I’m not sure referring to the existing elected officials as piled garbage is a good way to avoid politicization or divisiveness.

11
Reply
Anne
Anne
1 year ago

Also consider a large dog. I got lost in CP at around 6 pm (winter/dark) coming from east side— somehow was off the main well-traveled road. As soon as I realized the eery silence was not normal I turned around and ran out of there. But there were multiple assaults that night. I’ve always wondered if my 65 pound standard poodle who was with me was my safeguard that night!

6
Reply
Mark P
Mark P
1 year ago

Off leash, out of control dogs are not harmless. I broke my collarbone in Central Park because of one. Please consider your fellow humans as well as your pets.

15
Reply
Lin
Lin
1 year ago

Really scary.

Also incredible how many perpetrators of felony crimes are using bicycles – including Citibike – to get around, target new locations, avoid police.

17
Reply
AMS
AMS
1 year ago
Reply to  Lin

Yes a number of shootings throughout NYC in which the shooters were on bicycles.
Also there were some attempted sex assaults in lower Manhattan by individuals using Citibike.

1
Reply
Brandon
Brandon
1 year ago
Reply to  Lin

And how Citibike is unable or unwilling to track these bikes. A cheap GPS device coukd essily tell them what bike(s) were where a crime was committed snd who had checked it out.

8
Reply
Lisa
Lisa
1 year ago
Reply to  Brandon

Brandon, for Citi there is no upside to tracking these bikes – the tracking would cost more and waste a lot of the company’s time in assisting law enforcement. Should they be doing this? In my opinion, yes. Not tracking their bikes just enables further lawbreaking without consequences.

1
Reply
Mandy W
Mandy W
1 year ago
Reply to  Lin

This sounds off topic, but I think it does relate to crime – how troublemakers move is always a key to opportunity- I would like to know from Citibike what are the numbers of stolen bikes, and abandoned e-bikes after rides are maybe purchased on untraceable gift cards that are used til batteries run down. I feel like I see them all over, left in bushes, by garbage cans, even once in a grove of long grass under the highway in Riverside Park South. OK, kind of off topic, sorry.

8
Reply
JerryV
JerryV
1 year ago

A woman (or 2) that I would like to have in the park at night would be a young, female police officer armed with a handgun and with back-up officers close by.

10
Reply
Giselle
Giselle
1 year ago

I agree that early morning and late evening are times when we should be wary of going to the park alone or even with another person, but it’s also worth noting that the June 27 assault occurred shortly before 7am. That’s not so early for many people, especially those who have to be at work by 9.

Also, it may not be feasible for park employees to prevent assaults, but it’s true that there’s at least one groundsperson on this same stretch of Riverside Park who pursues dog walkers with a fervor that seems wildly misplaced. It’s not so much unleashing your dog that provokes his wrath; it’s venturing into any of the park’s restricted playfields, no matter how deserted. Even blizzard conditions don’t deter him from keeping those pristine fields safe from your puppy! Surely that energy could be better spent.

5
Reply
G Peck
G Peck
1 year ago
Reply to  Giselle

It’s posted on all playing fields – no dogs- they destroy the grass or Astroturf. Try a designated dog run instead or keep dog on leash. I have been bitten by an off leash dog and chased by another while legally biking! I’m glad a park ranger is addressing off leash dogs but I barely see it in my area.

8
Reply
Trish
Trish
1 year ago

Everyone, please call Gale Brewer’s office and demand that cameras be installed in Riverside Park. There current are none, which is nuts. Also, don’t jog through any quiet park at night. I see too many young women doing this. Not safe, especially these days. Gale’s number: 212-873-0282. Her office is somewhere in the mid 80’s on Columbus Ave. if you care to stop in.

4
Reply
Cathy Bernstein
Cathy Bernstein
1 year ago
Reply to  Trish

Trish, Great idea!!!
I didn’t realize they weren’t cameras in the park, thank you for letting us know!

1
Reply
Vic Moscovici
Vic Moscovici
1 year ago

The best advise – go out after 9 am and be back before 7 pm . The city is going crazy and the authorities dont care about law abiding citizens !

4
Reply
UWS-er of 25 years
UWS-er of 25 years
1 year ago
Reply to  Vic Moscovici

Gee, thanks! Some of us have jobs outside of your suggested schedule

7
Reply
neighbor785
neighbor785
1 year ago

Will we find out that the perps have a string of “priors”?

I voted for Bragg, under advice from people whom I shall not name. I thought that another candidate was too aligned with real estate and other interests.

Next election, I shall not vote for Bragg. I want someone who will prioritize the safety of the general public.

3
Reply
R B
R B
1 year ago

Running alone in the park before dawn or after sunset is unwise.

3
Reply
Lillie
Lillie
1 year ago

People have the right to be outdoors at any time they choose, including women. And a someone who wants to enjoy a beautiful summer night in New York by going for a run at 10 o’clock should be able to do so. I’m sure the women were not ignorant and knew they were taking a risk, but maybe they didn’t want to let fear dictate their lives and keep them in their apartments that day. Maybe they work a night shift. Or maybe they want to take back the night.

I feel terrible for the victims and am grateful they reported these grotesque violations immediately. Their response might have made the city a little bit safer for all of us.

11
Reply
Kindly DrDave
Kindly DrDave
1 year ago

Interesting to note that not a single comment notes that the park is legally closed to ALL use from 1 am to 5 am. Runners, dog walkers, smokers, muggers are all there illegally at 4:45 am. A ticketable offense.

6
Reply
Great Scott
Great Scott
1 year ago

The only way this and most crimes are going to decrease in occurrence is when bail reform is removed and the police and justice system are back to where they both need to be. You commit a crime, you get arrested. If you want out of jail before trial then post bail. Simple as that. Don’t commit the crime if you can’t do the time. Sorry, but for those who will comment that most people who are arrested can’t afford bail; to that I say – DON’T GET ARRESTED!

4
Reply
Frustrated UWS
Frustrated UWS
1 year ago

All this back and forth. Reality is when winter comes, it gets dark at 5:00pm. People, including women, should be able to run for their mental and physical health at a decent early hour even when it is dark. I used to feel very safe and comfortable running in Riverside Park along the river when it was dark, up until about 9pm. And it WAS SAFE. I was always cautious, of course everyone should be cautious, but at least we had the chance to keep mentally and physically healthy in the winter months. There was not this complete Wild West that has been happening for the last 5 years, including before COVID.

This is from our lax laws and it can’t be more obvious. If you lived here from 1997 – 2017, it was safe and everyone could feel comfortable walking after dark. Now people don’t feel safe walking even on the sidewalks after dark. Do you know how much this hurts your small businesses when it gets dark earlier?

No excuses, it’s the present laws that have caused this city’s lack of safety.

5
Reply
SweetHomePuntaCana
SweetHomePuntaCana
1 year ago

More cameras and more lighting is needed in that park, late at night is better not to venture into the park, and never, never go alone at night.

0
Reply
Orli
Orli
1 year ago

Are there cameras along Riverside Park?
Would they make a difference for these attacks.?

0
Reply

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