Crime & Safety
Man Arrested For Attempted Rape In Central Park, Police Say
The suspect was on parole after being convicted of an attempted sexual assault in 2022.
CENTRAL PARK, NY — A man was arrested Monday evening after trying to rape a woman on a bench in Central Park, New York City Police Department officials said Tuesday.
According to the NYPD, the 45-year-old victim was sitting on a park bench near East 109th Street and East Drive at around 5:35 p.m. Monday when she was attacked by a man.
The man pinned her to the bench before bystanders yelled out and chased him through the park, according to police.
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Lateef Caldwell, 30, was arrested and charged with attempted rape, attempted sex abuse, and sex abuse, police said.
According to police, Caldwell lives at a shelter on Randall's Island.
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This is not the first time Caldwell has been arrested for attempted sex abuse.
The suspect was paroled in April of 2025 after serving more than two years in prison for an attack in the East Village in 2022, according to the New York Daily News.
For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.
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