Person of interest in custody in Central Park sex assault, police say

NEW YORK - Police have person of interest in custody in the sexual assault of a sunbather in Central Park .

The person has not been charged yet in the Central Park case, but has an active warrant on an unrelated matter, the NYPD said.

Sources say the suspect was identified from DNA on the victim.

The attack happened in broad daylight last week near West Drive and 104th Street.

The 21-year-old victim was sunbathing alone when a man exposed himself and tackled her, police said. She managed to fight him off, and he ran away.

Police went on to release a sketch of the suspect .

They describe him as being in his 30s, having curly hair and a medium build.

The incident comes amid a recent increase in robberies and random attacks in Central Park. Data provided by the NYPD through April 21 showed a spike in robberies in the Central Park Precinct , from 3 in 2023 to 15 during the same period this year.

Among other random attacks in the park this year, a rock was hurled at "Boardwalk Empire" actor Michael Stuhlbarg in May. Hours later, a woman was bashed with a hammer. Separately, there were two gunpoint robberies two days apart in the park about a month later.

Anyone with information about the latest attack is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) , or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782 ). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips . All calls are kept confidential.