Central Park sexual assault suspect hit with multiple charges
NEW YORK -- The NYPD said Wednesday a suspect has been arrested in the sexual assault of woman last month in Central Park.
Jermaine Longmire, 43, was charged with attempted rape and sex abuse in the June 24 incident. He pleaded not guilty to both charges at his afternoon arraignment. He is due back in court on July 10.
Police said Longmire was recently arrested for a forcible touching pattern in the New York City subway system and while in custody was linked by DNA to the Central Park sexual assault case.
"Detectives were able to conduct a video canvass to follow this person to West 104th Street, where they were able to pull video from a commercial establishment that gave us a clear image of the perpetrator's face. This image was submitted to our facial recognition system, which produced a match," Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. "Once the examination was complete, Jermaine Longmire's DNA was discovered on the survivor's bikini bottom."
According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Longmire, who is currently residing at a homeless shelter on 123rd Street, has eight arrests in New York City and a long criminal history across various states, including New Jersey, Maryland and Florida, for mostly sex abuse-related crimes.
The victim was sunbathing alone in the Great Hill section of the park, near West Drive and 104th Street, when a man exposed himself and tackled her, police said. She managed to fight him off, and he ran away.
"The defendant approached this woman while touching himself and knocked her to the ground, tried to penetrate her. She fought him off while running away and received cuts and bruises," the prosecutor said. "After fleeing the area, he changed out of his shirt and got rid of what he was wearing."
"As alleged, Jermaine Longmire attempted to rape a woman in Central Park while she was sunbathing last month. Our parks should be a place where New Yorkers can relax without fearing for their safety, and this alleged conduct will not be tolerated," said Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. "Our Special Victims Division has the resources to both hold offenders accountable and support survivors as they heal; please call us at 212-335-9373."
The alleged attack happened amid a recent increase in crime in Central Park. NYPD data from late April showed a spike in robberies in the precinct, from three in 2023 to 15 during the same period this year.
On March 30, "Boardwalk Empire" actor Michael Stuhlbarg was struck by a rock in the park. A few hours later, a 39-year-old woman was approached by a man who hit her with a hammer, police said.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, police said there was a rise in rapes in the city from April to June, with 16 involving victims being attacked by strangers. As a result, the police are adding more patrols at parks. They are also expanding the Special Victims Unit because more people are coming forward.
"For July 4, we identified 19 parks across the city of New York that we feel should have additional police officers ... and they will be," Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael Lipetri said.
Police also said they will be putting up multiple cameras in and around Central Park.
