The NYPD boosted patrols in Central Park after a knife-wielding stranger raped a woman in the iconic greenspace, the department said Monday. 

The ramped-up police presence comes as authorities advised the public to be on the lookout for the slender, bearded predator in all black who sexually assaulted a 39-year-old woman in a wooded area on the east side of the park Saturday night. 

“The NYPD has increased patrols in Central Park,” officials said in a statement. “As with any part of the city, we remind everyone to always be aware of their surroundings and to remain vigilant.”

The suspect dragged the victim into a secluded section of the park at East 67 Street and East Drive around 8:30 p.m. and raped her before taking off, police said. 

The woman was taken to a local hospital in stable condition. 

Photos released by the NYPD late Sunday showed the wanted alleged rapist wearing a black hooded jacket, black pants, and a black backpack.

NYPD crime statistics show that the attack was the fifth rape inside Central Park since the start of the year. Arrests have been made in three of those cases.

Three rapes were reported inside Central Park during the same timeframe in 2025.

Citywide, rape reports have increased by about 2%, with 1,735 through Sunday, compared to 1,696 over the same span last year. 

Police brass attribute the bump in rape reports to changes in state law that expanded the legal definition of what constitutes rape.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD’s Sex Crimes Hotline at 1-212-267-7273 or 646-610-7272, the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). 

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.