The man wanted in connection with the knifepoint rape of a woman in Central Park has been pictured for the first time, as frightened locals say they are avoiding the landmark after dark.
The NYPD released images Monday showing the knife-wielding suspect accused of dragging a woman into a wooded section of the park and sexually assaulting her Saturday night near East 67th Street and Fifth Avenue.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and was reported to be in stable condition.
Department photos show the alleged attacker, who fled after the assault, wearing a black hooded jacket, black pants and a black backpack.
Video footage also shows him walking along a sidewalk while holding earbuds in his hands.
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Preliminary investigative findings indicate that the victim did not appear to know her attacker, law-enforcement sources told The Post on Sunday.
The assault marked the fifth reported rape since the beginning of the year within the NYPD’s Central Park Precinct. Department crime data shows there had been three rapes in the same area by this point last year.
On Sunday, shaken residents said they were avoiding the area around the famous Manhattan park after nightfall.
Anna Brockway, a 55-year-old marketing executive who lives part-time across the street from Central Park, said she often sees “a lot of guys who kind of crash out there, drinking, sleeping.”
“At night, when I walk my dog, I go around the corner,” she said. “I try not to walk next to the park.”
Anyone with information about the rape is urged to contact 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, in Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).