UPPER EAST SIDE — The NYPD is ramping up patrols in Central Park following the attempted rape of a jogger Monday night, officials said.
“We will be increasing the police presence in the park,” NYPD Chief of Department Carlos Gomez said Tuesday. “It will be on all tours, 24 hours a day. There will be more officers there. There will be more officers both inside the park and around the perimeter.”
The 28-year-old jogger was listening to music running north on East Drive when the attacker came up from behind, put her in a bear hug and dragged her into a wooded area, police said.
He beat and undressed her and said he was going to rape her, but was unable to carry out the attack. He made off with her cellphone, police sources said.
The suspect, who’s believed to be in his 30s with a scruffy beard, was dressed in a dark jacket with an orange T-shirt. Investigators found the woman's phone in The Bronx, sources said.
Gomez said the increased patrols will include uniformed officers, plainclothes police as well as members of the elite Strategic Response Group.
“We want to keep it safe — give the park-goers a sense of safety,” he said. "One crime is one crime too many."
NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said crime in Central Park is down 17 percent for the year, but there have been five robberies so far in October, all of which have involved cellphones.
“We’re looking to see which ones are related,” he said. “We’re proceeding that they are related. Basically, it’s four to five males who are attempting to rob persons of their cellphones.”
Prospect Park, Crotona Park, Claremont Park and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will also see increased patrol, officials said.
Gomez said New Yorkers can do their part by leaving parks at designated closing times.
"If your park closes at a specific time, do your civic duty," he said. "It will certainly help us in preventing some of these crimes."
