By Gus Saltonstall
A woman was attacked and robbed in Central Park on Sunday night, a police spokesperson told West Side Rag.
A 32-year-old woman was walking around 9:45 p.m. along East Drive near 90th Street, when three men approached her and hit her in the head multiple times, NYPD said. The trio then grabbed her backpack and fled the park toward Fifth Avenue, NYPD added.
The New York Post identified the victim as Katherine Marroquin, who was biking home from her job as a maintenance worker. She had stopped to pick up AirPods that she had dropped, when the three men ambushed her, the Post reported.
Marroquin used a metal water bottle to fight off the muggers, the paper added.
“I am thankful that I am OK,” Marroquin told the Post. “I just wanted to get home because my mom was worried, everybody was worried.”
The woman refused medical attention at the scene, police said.
There are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing, NYPD said.
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NYC life 101: Stay out of parks after dark unless you have a large dog.
Yo Don’t blame the victim
Based on recent stories in the Rag’s Crime section, here are some other places and times to avoid unless you have a large dog:
109th between Riverside and Broadway at 1:30pm
69th and CPW at 7:40pm
71st and CPW at 8:45am
66th and Riverside Boulevard at 3:50pm
70th and West End at 11:20pm
84th and CPW at 2:30pm
I was attacked in Riverside Park in 2019 while walking a 55 lb. pit bull (not hurt, not robbed) so unfortunately when dealing with people mentally ill or on drugs, the large dog is not a deterrent.
…or are armed. That’s where we are now.
Adding guns will only make a situation worse for all involved.
It will make the situation worse for the criminals, yeah.
Didnt an armed bystander stop the school shooter in Oregon?
He stopped the shooter AFTER people were dead and wounded. He didn’t stop the SHOOTING.
Fewer guns mean fewer shootings.
That’s an anecdote
Central Park used to be much more dangerous. I’m a lifelong New Yorker who would never at any time in the past have gone into the park after dark unless there was a scheduled event, certainly not alone or even in a pair. I’m always a little shocked that people do, which is not to blame the victims or excuse criminals.
For the love of god, can we please stop comparing today’s situation to the 70s or 80s!
It was much much safer only a few years ago!
Here we go… another story to get the Anxious Annies all worked up.
Yes, and crime is down..”.it’s just a perception”, as once said by an elected official.
Not cool. Robberies damage the civic fabric.
Correct nothing to see here.
Having armed guards at grocery stores is perfectly normal.
Crime rates are among the lowest ever recorded in Manhattan. I know articles like this don’t help that perception and it also doesn’t help that people never actually look at crime rates over the long term. They just react to articles like this that predictably drive lots of views and engagement. But hey, the less you go into the park, the less crowded it is for the rest of us to enjoy. By all means, stay home!
How tone deaf!
There were other robberies on the east side of the park committed by three guys. Same ones?
Yes, very similar MO. Instead of victim blaming, how about we do some criminal catching?
A lot of mayhem on the east side lately. Plus Legionnaires that’s why I don’t go there.
I would never walk alone in Central Park after dark!! It’s too risky in my opinion.
When will people learn not to walk in the park at night, especially alone?
Even if you’re a man, even if you’re riding a bike.
Why is this considered acceptable in the’ greatest city in the world’ ? We don’t have to live like this.
People learned that they could in between around 2000 and 2019, when our city was safe.
When will government make parks safe again
i am in the park every night at 4 am and the scariest things are the coyotes.
what are you afraid of?
Are you the mugger?
I’m very sorry for this woman. That must have been a horrifying experience. That being said, I don’t understand why a person would enter a poorly lit, sparsely populated area with innumerable hiding places after dark unless they absolutely had to. Perhaps she had to. I don’t know her story. But for those of us who do have a choice, don’t do that. It’s reckless. Things could go badly.
Here is a sample of recent violent crime times and locations from the Rag’s Crime section. I think people should also avoid CPW during daylight hours. Or maybe we could prosecute criminals.
109th between Riverside and Broadway at 1:30pm
69th and CPW at 7:40pm
71st and CPW at 8:45am
66th and Riverside Boulevard at 3:50pm
70th and West End at 11:20pm
84th and CPW at 2:30pm
If it’s not safe they should close the park at night. Pretending its perfectly fine and then acting like “oh why was she there” when things do happen is just stupid.
I agree and I’m glad we can finally post things in this theme with less “stop the victim blaming!” in the comments. That the parks are less safe at night is perhaps just pattern recognition, not victim blaming
Vote better and be able to walk in the park at night.
Vote better? I’m over 70 years old and there has never been a time in my life when it was safe to walk alone in the park after dark.
Central Park Precinct crime is up 30% this year for the stat watchers. The 24 is up 10%. The 20th Precinct is about flat, but with a worrying 68% increase in felony assaults.
Robberies in Central Park have more than doubled this year, with 19 muggings compared to only eight during the same period last year, according to NYPD stats current as of Oct. 11.
As per nydailynews
NYC and NYS politicians are not doing enough for public safety. Vote differently.
Last year after a publicized crime there were police officers along paths in the park at night. That lasted two or three days.
Performative policing! Tisch has certainly improved NYPD culture and seems like she has gone after the worst of the rot that had festered under the corrupt Adams administration, but many officers simply refuse to do the basics of the job. I frequently see NYPD officers (especially the traffic enforcement officers) playing games on their phones. Hardly seems like we are getting the best value out of the billions we spend on the NYPD.
We(2 people) were walking on the East Drive after dark on Saturday night from the Met south bound to 59th (The Plaza Hotel is closing for 4 years!).
With a whole NYPD police precinct for our Central Park. I didn’t notice any police presence at all.
The Krasner/ Pollock show was very good. Go see it.
I would have walked on 5th Ave instead.
Thanks for the Krasner/Pollock tip–I’d had it on my radar but forgot about it!
We used to see police in Central Park all the time. Has anyone seen a police officer in Central Park recently?
Let the victim blaming begin. Don’t forget throw in some statistics and praise to the mayor.
This is from the NY Daily News: Robberies in Central Park have more than doubled this year, with 19 muggings compared to only eight during the same period last year, according to NYPD stats current as of Oct. 11.
Meanwhile, there’s a 12% reduction in robberies citywide this year, with only 10,492 incidents compared to the 11,947 robberies across the five boroughs in 2025.
Imagine that ONLY 10,492 robberies citywide this year. Not sure I would have used the word ONLY.
Just like the old days…
A lot more details in the NY Post today…
https://nypost.com/2026/10/19/us-news/masked-trio-robs-female-cyclist-who-fights-back-with-metal-water-bottle-in-unprovoked-central-park-violence/
Anyone consider how much the giant increase in costs of everything might contribute to increased crime?
does park now need real gates, each with one guard,? esp/ nights , early mornings?
I do believe police patrols are necessary in the park after dark.
Vote Saritha NYS AG if you actually want criminals prosecuted vs. catch & release.