By Joy Bergmann
NYPD has arrested two suspects in three sexual assault incidents committed in Riverside Park this week, plus a related forcible-touching incident on June 25th at 111th Street and Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side.
At a press conference Friday morning, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig, provided updated details on the attacks and the charges against “two sexual predators,” he said, who were taken into custody on Thursday.
First Suspect
One of the incidents occurred at around 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning, July 20th, inside Riverside Park South at 59th Street, Essig said. A woman was walking in the park when a man allegedly approached her, tackled her and grabbed her breasts. When the woman attempted to call 911, the man, who was described as wearing a red shirt and a multicolored baseball cap, stole her phone. During the struggle, the woman pulled a chain from the suspect’s neck. The chain was recovered by police at the scene.
Video evidence showed the man fleeing on a bicycle, Essig explained. On Thursday afternoon, NYPD officers spotted a man fitting the description and placed him in custody.
The suspect was identified as Tatchiem Noubissi Luc, 39, who has no prior criminal record. Essig said Noubissi Luck made “incriminating statements” about leaving his chain at the scene. A search of his residence turned up the victim’s cell phone and the red shirt, Essig said. The woman later identified him in a lineup.
Noubissi Luc was charged with first-degree attempted rape, third-degree robbery, first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree assault, said Essig.
Second Suspect
Jhonatan Cortes-Lopez, a 21 year-old man with no prior criminal record, was taken into custody Thursday evening, Essig said.
Cortes-Lopez is the alleged perpetrator of two sexual assaults in Riverside Park on Tuesday July 18th [previously reported as Wednesday], and a forcible-touching incident on June 25th, Essig said.
At around 4:40 p.m. on July 18, Cortes-Lopez allegedly approached a woman inside Riverside Park between 79th and 80th Street, grabbed her breasts and made explicit statements to her. He then fled on a bicycle, Essig said.
Later Tuesday, around 10:00 p.m. another woman, a female jogger on the bike path at 89th Street inside Riverside Park, was allegedly grabbed from behind, by a man on a bicycle fitting Cortes-Lopez’s description, who pushed her to the ground. The man then allegedly pulled down her shorts and made “similar explicit statements,” according to Essig. She screamed and he fled on his bicycle. He was described as a wearing a jersey with the number 40 on it.
On Thursday evening, NYPD used video evidence to track Cortes-Lopez to a building on 125th Street. They found him wearing a number 40 jersey. Police took Cortes-Lopez into custody. Essig said he identified himself as connected to the Riverside Park attacks as well as a forcible-touching incident that occurred on June 25th near the corner of 111th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
Victims of all three incidents identified Cortes-Lopez in a lineup. He was charged with three counts of forcible touching, first-degree attempted rape, first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree assault, according to Essig, who credited the NYPD’s Special Victims Division and multiple other NYPD units for the swift arrests.
Update July 28, 2023
This story has been updated to correct the names of both suspects. WSR’s initial report was based on information provided by the NYPD at the time. The names have now been corrected based on information from the courts, the DA’s office and the Department of Correction.
Great job by NYPD! And thank you to WSR for the quick and thorough update.
What are the sentencing guidelines for the crimes they have been charged with? They both seem like open and shut cases. Hopefully they will both be behind bars for a while.
These successes are top heavy. What they do with them is what counts.
Great and fast work by the NYPD. Thank you, NYPD!!
I just love when the NYPD does a good and fast job there’s hand clapping for them, but when a policeman, two years ago, punches a crazed person who is making a minor riot in an Apple store, this policeman is under indictment now for causing a pain to the one who created the havoc.
OK, while of course these two are presumed innocent legally, this seems to be good work by the cops using some actual shoe leather.
(Before the nonsense starts, basically any sexual felony, including attempted rape, is bail-eligible in NY.)
Wonderful news. Are they in jail now?
they are not off our streets if the judge
releases them.
*taps sign saying “basically any sexual felony, including attempted rape, is bail-eligible in NY”*
Anyone can look this up, it’s not hard.
But if we look at what the facts are, the Post headlines won’t make any sense.
should a NYPD Chief of Detectives be claiming “Two sexual predators off our streets,” without conviction or confession? bad messaging for a police force that is not allowed to be judge or jury
Given the slam dunk evidence – victims’s phone and wearing same number 40 shirt and video surveillance I don’t think there is a maybe
Thank you to the police for their swift response. It has been such a relief to see you in the neighborhood and in Riverside Park these last couple of days. Please make yourselves at home as we would love to see more of your.
Fine work by the NYPD, as usual. Thank you to them!
All the debating that will happen when this is read. See????? It’s not bail reform, etc. You shouldn’t be out after dark, etc.
Here is the point. If you lived here from 1997 – 2017, it was safe and everyone could feel comfortable walking after dark. You COULD go into a park up until about 9pm, especially during the winter when it was dark early, because it was safe. You had to be aware, but it was safe. Now it’s the Wild West and bad people are emboldened. There are no consequence.
People don’t feel safe walking even on the sidewalks after dark now. 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 and has emboldened bad people. Let’s see what happens to these 2 fine gentlemen.
Excuse me??? 97-17 was SAFE???
Violent crime and sexual assault rates were *higher* circa 2010 than they are now. Hard numbers. The city reached unbelievably low levels of crime circa 2018 (lowest since WWII) and there was a moderate increase following the pandemic.
The sky ain’t falling right now and the rewriting of the Giuliani/Bloomberg years I see on WSR’s comments page is hilarious.
Bail reform went into effect in early 2020 (passed 2019). Did it travel back in time to cause problems in 2017?
No prior criminal records? That’s because they just arrived in the United States. You just don’t go from a squeaky clean criminal background to attempted rape.
There is always one that finds a platform for anti immigrant opinions. Maybe they just never got caught before. In any event there are plenty of home grown American rapists and criminals to go around
Yes, during the time you mentioned I was able to walk anywhere safely. I regularly walked to a ski bus at 4 am on deserted streets or walked home from midtown after a night out. It was safe, people were happy and friendly.
It is far from these times anymore. With criminals feeling emboldened and police under microscope scrutiny, it became unsafe, unfriendly, filthy and overall bad. Just bad.
So please no victim blaming. Blame yourself for your voting choices.
Walking on streets, with passing cars on doormen close enough to hear a victim scream, is very different than walking though Riverside Park South that is far from anyone in the dead of night.
Second this. Every line. It is my experience exactly as well.
You created a false narrative about safety for women on the UWS.
It is NEVER safe for a woman to be in a deserted park at any hour or a deserted part of the park. Men need to stop raping and attacking women.
Then we will be safe.
Dear Frustrated (and everyone else reading): do you think it’s safe to jog the lower loop of Central Park from say 9:00 to 10:00pm? It’s bright so I feel safe, but honestly I don’t know.
For me, I also factor in how many other people are around on the loop itself and on my walk back to my apartment.
Clearly at 4:40 PM in Riverside park it was bright and there were most likely people around, so even light and people are no guarantee, so keep an eye out, whenever you run!
Given all the conversation in our city and the country about bail reform, can you tell us if these individuals were or are offered bail and if they are back on the streets?
sexual felony offenses are non-bailable in New York
Once they get out, what do they have to do to achieve an advanced degree? How many chances do they get to graduate and stay locked up? Or do women just remain inside “after dark” ala any number of patriarchal dictatorships where they blame the victim and call it protection.
Well done NYPD
Weird how many earlier commenters were absolutely sure the suspects had prior arrests but had been personally released by Bragg… turns out they don’t have criminal records but they will now. Nice work NYPD.
They don’t have records in this country, maybe another country?
Weird how protective you are of Bragg. For every perp without priors, there are loads of perps with, and that are inexplicably out on bail or parole. Far from a slam dunk, buddy.
Great job NYPD! Now, get rid of the green shirts and replace them with a couple of police officers. We would all be better off.
Congratulations to the police for apprehending these perps. But one question: why was one woman alone walking her dog in the Park at 4 am? And another woman jogging alone in the Park at 10pm? Obviously, they thought it was safe to do so. Obviously, it is NOT.
It is not safe to take subway either. Would your advise be to avoid it? Let’s build our schedule around criminals’ schedule.
Victim blaming? Why shouldn’t they be in the park? Is there something about lack of light that makes predators prowl? For cryin’ out loud, they are not actual vampires. It is not the time of day. It is the absence of people. The more people in the park, the less likely the opportunity will present itself. Let’s ALL go in the park during the off hours and it will be safer. In the meantime, let’s not think we should give up our rights as human beings enjoying our own City just because we might get assaulted — because frankly, it happens at all hours of the day and night. Feel free to bring some sort of group or personal protection and let the assaulter beware. And USE VOICE LOUDLY.
They are eligible for bail….
They are eligible for bail….
They are eligible for bail….
Make the call please – is in charge of the bail laws.
Again – please be polite and respectful.
We can disagree with each other in a civil manner and make our point.
Carl E. Heastie
518-455-3791
718-654-6539
Speaker@nyassembly.gov
Glad these guys are gone. In an ideal world, both men and women should be just as safe in our parks at 10am and 4pm, but we don’t live in that world.
The victims are not to blame , but going into a park, esp at 4am , but even at 10pm if it’s not filled with people, seems very poor decision making….esp since these assaults are not rare and get a lot of publicity.
What needs to be done to stop this insanity?? Install cameras in areas where attacks are frequent?
Great job and fast response!!
Alas, by the time these comments have made it thru the Moderator, the criminals will be back on the streets. Stay alert, neighbors!
Great job NYPD! Now let’s see if these criminals actually spend any time behind bars where they belong.
Yet they get offended we’re don’t want them in our neighborhood
Thank you to the NYPD. Let’s profusely praise the cops when they do good work. And, let’s vote for people who will keep these filthy animals off the streets.
They just cannot be allowed out on bail, And, yes, there is an elected official responsible for that.
More cameras like London as well.
Bottom line: more policing, more consequences for crime, more respect for the law, and more respect for cops. That’s how civil society works.
Swift, excellent work by NYPD! Ya think our progressive lawmakers might recognize work like this and give the police the respect they deserve and the tools to do their jobs without them having to walk on eggshells? I’m sure the two women who were assaulted feel the same way. Get these idiots out of office and let’s clean up the mess that DeBlasio made and Adams is continuing.