Crime & Safety

Central Park Rape Suspect Arrested In Miami, Police Say

The arrest comes three weeks after a woman was raped at knifepoint in Central Park, police said.

CENTRAL PARK, NY — Police have arrested a suspect accused of raping a woman in Central Park on Tuesday, New York City Police Department officials said.

According to the NYPD, 30-year-old Dereck Rivera-Deleon was arrested in connection with the Oct. 24 attack in Miami Beach in South Florida while working at a Burger King.

The arrest comes a week after the NYPD released surveillance photos of the suspect.

Find out what's happening in Central Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

According to the NYPD, the 39-year-old woman was near East 66th Street and Fifth Avenue in Central Park before 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 when a man approached her, pulled out a knife, and raped her, police said.

Rivera-Deleon is now connected to other cases that happened in Central Park in 2023 and 2021, the NYPD said.

Find out what's happening in Central Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.

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