First look at man wanted in Central Park rape at knifepoint

New surveillance images were released by the NYPD of a suspect wanted in last weekend’s Central Park attack where officials say a woman was raped at knifepoint.

According to officials, the 39-year-old victim was pulled by the suspect into a wooded area of the park around 9 p.m. Saturday and violently assaulted. It happened near the area of East 66th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Police released the first look at the alleged attacker walking down a sidewalk, wearing dark clothes and carrying a dark backpack. Detectives said the woman did not know her attacker.

Councilmember Virginia Maloney said Saturday’s reported attack is the second assault on a woman in the park in the last week. NYPD officers are also looking for three men who attacked and robbed another woman on Oct. 18.

New Yorkers in the neighborhood are eager to see arrests in both cases and some have been asking for more police to patrol the area, especially at night.

“You should be safe to walk into the park and enjoy the beauty of Central Park. It is everybody’s backyard,” one woman said Monday. “I wish there was more police presence in the park. During the day, I don’t find it necessary but in the evening I think it is.”

“Obviously, nobody wants like a hundred police officers around you constantly to ensure that you’re safe. It should be a given,” another woman in the park said.

The weekend attack is the fifth reported sexual assault in the park this year, according to NYPD records.