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Woman Attacked in Central Park Rape Attempt; Arrest Made: Police

June 15, 2026 | 4:12 PM - Updated on June 16, 2026 | 3:08 PM
in CRIME, NEWS
24
Photo Credit: WSR.

By West Side Rag

A woman was attacked in Central Park on Friday morning by a man who attempted to rape her, according to police.

A 44-year-old woman was walking in Central Park around 6:15 a.m. near 64th Street and West Drive, when a man snuck up behind her and attacked, police said.

The man sexually assaulted the woman, who was able to eventually fight the attacker off, police said. The woman also suffered a cut to her head, NYPD added.

The man ran away, and the woman was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition, police said.

On Saturday, Nazzarius Rager, 26, was arrested in connection to the attack, and charged with attempted rape, assault, sex abuse, and unlawful imprisonment, as first reported by the UpperEastSite. NYPD provided a homeless shelter as Rager’s address.

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24 Comments
Alice
Alice
2 days ago

Quick work on NYPD’s part

40
Reply
Best side?
Best side?
1 day ago

Thank you NYPD. Pro tip ladies, a travel size of aerosol hairspray or deodorant is cheaper and easier to obtain in NY state than pepper spray and will have a similar impact if you ever need to temporarily disable an assailant

50
Reply
UWS Dad
UWS Dad
1 day ago

Good work NYPD!

26
Reply
UWSDad
UWSDad
1 day ago

That’s scary. Well done NYPD. Now we need the courts to lock this guy up for a really long time. Zero tolerance for this type of crime against women.

36
Reply
Manhattan parent
Manhattan parent
1 day ago

Sickening.

Now the question is – what are the consequences for the perpetrator?

35
Reply
UWScitizen
UWScitizen
1 day ago

Is there a photo of the rapist anywhere?

4
Reply
Joey
Joey
1 day ago

Kudos to the Greatest Detectives in the World

7
Reply
Sam
Sam
1 day ago
Reply to  Joey

YES!!!!

3
Reply
Lisa
Lisa
1 day ago

“NYPD provided a homeless shelter as Rager’s address.” And yet you’re not allowed to say you don’t want homeless shelters in your neighborhood :(.

14
Reply
Naomi Weisberg Siegel
Naomi Weisberg Siegel
1 day ago
Reply to  Lisa

NIMBY comment of the day.

8
Reply
neighbor
neighbor
1 day ago
Reply to  Lisa

They didn’t say where the homeless shelter was.

0
Reply
George Richardson
George Richardson
1 day ago

I ride my bike at 5:30 am and am alarmed at how many disturbed people are in the Park at that hour.

12
Reply
neighbor
neighbor
1 day ago
Reply to  George Richardson

presumably they sleep there. Nicer in the park than on the streets.

3
Reply
Margie
Margie
1 day ago

Great work NYPD! What happens now? A slap on the wrist and the criminal is out doing this to more women? And what were his previous crimes????

14
Reply
Naomi Weisberg Siegel
Naomi Weisberg Siegel
1 day ago
Reply to  Margie

Why do you assume that? He’s being charged with multiple crimes.

2
Reply
Caroline
Caroline
1 day ago

Sadly, this again is a reminder that women should not walk alone in Central Park in the early AM or late PM when the park is barely populated.

2
Reply
mary downs
mary downs
1 day ago
Reply to  Caroline

One thing that makes this attack all the more jarring is that this is not a “barely populated” hour in Central Park. At this time of year, when the sun is rising between 5-5:30, the park is filled with dog walkers, runners, bikers, Conservancy staff, and sunshine, by 6:15am.
To the brave woman who fought back, I hope it is not too long before you can find peace again in your morning walks.

20
Reply
Sam
Sam
1 day ago

Near Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center. Totally unacceptable. There are many homeless now on the streets in the neighborhood full of tourists. Clean it up now.

17
Reply
Naomi Weisberg Siegel
Naomi Weisberg Siegel
1 day ago
Reply to  Sam

You do realize that homeless people are, you know, people? Not trash? And if we provided them with housing, mental health care, and support, they wouldn’t be besmirching your view.

5
Reply
Susan
Susan
1 day ago

Thank you NYPD and let’s hope this solid citizens next address is a prison.

3
Reply
Tam
Tam
1 day ago

Why are so many people on the UWS so unconcerned about crime? To me it is the most important issue. Does nobody ever think that these things will happen to them or their kids or relatives? It’s really disturbing that crime is such a low priority. So many of these criminals have multiple page rap sheets of prior convictions. So many crimes are not being counted in statistics because the criminals are not given bail and never show up and therefore are not convicted. Crime is an issue that should have never become partisan. For the unfortunate people whose lives are devastated by these crimes, let’s finally put aside partisan politics are vote for representatives who believe crime in the number one priority in the city. And please save the “crime is much lower than the 70s”. I personally have never felt so unsafe in this city and have been here almost 40 years.

18
Reply
UWSYIMBY
UWSYIMBY
2 hours ago
Reply to  Tam

Crime as a whole, especially murder, robbing, and SA, is at a historic low. While this event is extremely troubling and tragic, it’s important to formulate opinions around facts. not feelings.

1
Reply
Josh
Josh
4 hours ago
Reply to  Tam

I’m guessing you don’t actually know how crime statistics work. If no one is convicted for a crime, the crime is still counted in statistics because they are based on reports, not convictions. So you have lived here for 40 years, but you felt safer when you were actually more likely to be a crime victim. Did you think maybe it has to do with more knowledge of crimes happening? 40 years ago, you only heard of crimes when they happened to people you actually spoke to. But how, you have social media and micro news sites (like the Rag), informing you of crimes you wouldn’t have ever heard about 40 years ago.

3
Reply
Neighbor785
Neighbor785
7 hours ago
Reply to  Tam

I don’t see any leading candidate in my district advocating a robust response to crime.

2
Reply

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