Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Central Park Rape Suspect In Police Custody
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 13, 2012
Modified Sep 13, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 13, 2012
Modified Sep 13, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The 73-year-old woman who was raped in Central Park near Strawberry Fields yesterday has identified her attacker: NBC New York reports that she picked "42-year-old David Mitchell [out of] a lineup...at the Special Victims Unit Thursday afternoon." He is expected to be charged later today.
Authorities believe that Mitchell is homeless and say he was picked up yesterday by officers canvassing the area near the park. It seems that Mitchell allegedly threatened a man in Central Park on August 20th, and the victim in that incident recognized him as his attacker from the surveillance photos released yesterday. The rape victim had also told police that she believed her attacker was the man she spotted masturbating in the Ramble a week and a half ago; she had taken his photograph and he threatened her.
NBC NY adds:
Detectives requested a warrant for Mitchell's DNA as well as a warrant to view images on a digital camera memory chip they found on him. He has an extensive criminal record in Virginia and was released in March 2011 after spending about seven years in state prison on a kidnapping charge. He was acquitted of murder and sex assault charges in a separate case in 1989.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne thinks that Mitchell will be charged with rape.
The rape victim, a birdwatcher frequently in Central Park, told the Post, "Kill him. Cut off his penis. That’s fine. Cut off his feet, then hit him over the head. Then give him life in prison... I hope he goes to jail for a long time, and he gets raped, over and over again."
Tagged
arrest
central park
Central Park rape
david mitchell
nypd
rape
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 11:37 a.m. ET
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .