Democrats Silent as NYC Attack Suspect Remains at Large

Democratic leaders have not publicly commented on the latest violent incident in New York City’s Central Park, where police are searching for a suspect accused of sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint.

The 39-year-old woman was raped by a stranger at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday near East 67th Street and East Drive, according to the NYPD. The attacker allegedly threatened her with a knife before fleeing. The case marks the fifth reported rape in the NYPD’s Central Park Precinct this year, police data show.

“This most recent rape was in an area that’s right near $10 million apartments and an area where you would hope that people in this city would feel safe,” said Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector and Fox News Contributor.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James, two of New York’s leading Democratic officials, have so far made no public statements about the Central Park attack. Their silence stands in sharp contrast to their prominent response earlier this month to a separate rape case involving seven Cornell fraternity members, when Hochul quickly appointed James as a special prosecutor.

“Let something hit the news like the Cornell case and all of a sudden they’re all over the media and they’re on a soapbox and they’re holding press conferences,” Mauro said.

“We are less than 10 days away from an election, and that has to have a lot to do with it,” he added.

‘Going in the wrong direction’

Police said the victim was transported to a hospital, where she remains in “stable condition.”

Julie Menin, speaker for the New York City Council, said in a post on X, in part, “I am outraged by this horrific act of violence. My thoughts are with the survivor, and I hope she makes a full recovery. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in our city.”

The NYPD asked that anyone with information about the suspect or the attack 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.

“Five rapes, five in the confines of Central Park already this year is a very bad number,” Mauro said.

At the same point last year, the precinct had recorded three rape cases.

Mauro said the increase raises concerns about public safety in New York City. He identified Central Park felonies and subway crime as two “bellwether metrics” closely monitored by police commanders.

“Both of those are very much going in the wrong direction,” he said.

The NYPD said its investigation into the Saturday night assault remains active and ongoing.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the case at a news conference Monday morning.

He said in part, “Our administration is working to ensure that the survivor has the support that she needs to navigate the next steps. We are going to continue to work with survivors at large, as well as providers and city partners, to strengthen prevention and address gaps in support and to also hold perpetrators of sexual assault accountable and to ensure that this is a city that puts survivors’ needs first.”