A third shocking attack has unfolded in Central Park in just 27 hours — recalling darker days when the iconic greenspace was plagued by violent “wildings,” and the infamous 1989 rape of a jogger in a case that sent shockwaves through the city.
The spate of violent robberies was followed on Saturday by a brazen snatch-and-grab theft, when a tourist sitting on a bench near East 74th Street had a bag with pricey camera equipment grabbed by a thief who took off running, police said.
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The brave victim escaped by charging at his young attackers, prompting them to run, empty-handed, police said.
He then tripped and hurt his finger.
Teacher Ashikur R. Chowdhury, who is six feet tall and weighs more than 200 pounds, told The Post he didn’t hesitate to push back on the pint-sized perps.
“It’s really tragic that crime is back on the rise, because for a little bit there Central Park was staying out of the headlines, and now it’s getting back in there because it’s getting worse. It makes me really sad,” Chowdhury, 25, of Harlem said.
The would-be robbery followed two other, disturbing incidents: a man held at gunpoint, robbed and assaulted while taking pictures inside the park, and a woman who was set upon by a pervert who grabbed her and demanded, “Give me your phone, give me your wallet, give me sex,” authorities said.
The episodes occurred as crime in the park has soared.
Robberies are up 400% — with 15 as of April 21, compared to three in the same period a year prior, NYPD data show.
The three newest attacks aren’t included in those statistics.
Word of the scary incidents has left New Yorkers shaken.
A lifelong New Yorker said the city is “already” back to the bad old days.
“It’s unsafe,” said the Upper East Sider, 63, who declined to give their name.
“We had a good 20 years, under [Mayor Rudy] Giuliani and [Mayor Michael] Bloomberg. It was a nice stretch. Now it’s getting worse and worse every day.
“Even the doormen don’t feel safe, even in our area,” the filmmaker claimed. “You have stores being robbed. It’s unpleasant. …It’s gone down so far, it will take a lot to bring it back.”
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“Since Covid something snapped. There are a lot more incidents,” Bollon, 60, said, saying they feel a sense of “uneasiness.”
“That’s really crazy,” said Hermon Daniel, 27, a restaurant hostess who lives on the Upper West Side and walks through Central Park to get to and from work.
“It’s not an affordable area [to live] so you would think, if I’m going to spend this much more in rent for peace of mind, it should be safe.”
In the 80s, groups of teenagers were known to go into the park in groups and attack unsuspecting victims as a pack, which became known as “wilding,” with the roving perps stealing, hitting and punching their targets.
“They’d swarm the people and beat them and rob them,” a police source recalled.
“The more you resisted, the worse it was.”
While Chowdhury wasn’t injured by his attackers, man attacked on Friday morning was punched twice in the face as one of the robbers pointed the gun at his head, cops said.
They then stole an iPhone 8, an iPhone 13 and a wallet from him before taking off on mopeds on a bike path, police said.
The woman was also punched in the face and then knocked to the ground during the attack at West 97th Street and West Drive, authorities said.
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The brute who was described as being 5-foot-9 with curly short black hair, wearing all black — took off and hasn’t been caught, cops said.
The woman refused medical treatment.
She later told The Post she was “okay,” before declining further comment.
It wasn’t clear if any of the attacks were related and investigators were canvassing the park for video, cops said.
“It scares the shit out of me. Things have deteriorated,” said Ruth Peltason, 65, a writer and editor who lives in Manhattan, who recalled how a friend’s daughter was mugged in Central Park last summer.
“I’m very mindful of where I walk, especially as a woman, you walk with eyes in the back of your head.”
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Georgett Roberts
* Original Article:
https://nypost.com/2024/04/27/us-news/woman-and-two-men-robbed-in-nycs-central-park-in-three-days/amp/
