Police: 2 women attacked by 3 teens on Citi Bikes in Central Park
NEW YORK - Police say two women were assaulted in Central Park just minutes apart Wednesday.
Now, the search is underway for three teens on Citi Bikes who may be responsible.
A jog in Central Park ended in cuts and bruises for one woman and a brief loss of vision for another, according to police, who say each victim reported seeing three teens, about 16 years old, on Citi Bikes riding away after being assaulted.
"It's scarier that they could just come on a bicycle and then zoom away," one parkgoer said.
The two attacks happened just around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The first woman was pushed down when jogging by 75th Street and East Drive, telling police the teen who did it was joined by two others, all riding Citi Bikes.
A few minutes later, the second woman by 71st and East Drive felt a hard push to the back of her head when running and lost her vision. When she regained it, she gave the same description to cops.
"Maybe Citi Bikes shouldn't be in the park," an Upper West Side resident said.
"It's really hard to say because all types of people ride Citi Bikes, and even some of the Citi Bikes are stolen by people in the streets," Sunset Park resident Joel Valerio said.
For some, it's the first time hearing about assaults by bike riders, let alone Citi Bikes, which have GPS trackers on them.
According to police sources, crime in Central Park is consistent with last year. Not counting these attacks, there have been six misdemeanor assaults this year compared to five last year.
Some parkgoers think heightened security or an emergency phone line in the park may offer solutions, but they believe only so much can be done to prevent random attacks
"I've personally been in situations where even when there is support, you're not believed anyway, so I don't think simply increasing security would actually make it safer for women," one woman said.
No arrests have been made in this ongoing investigation.
Anyone with any information 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.