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Central Park Rape Suspect Arrested Inside East Harlem Hospital
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 20, 2013
Modified Nov 20, 2013
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NYPD
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 20, 2013
Modified Nov 20, 2013
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A homeless man accused of raping a woman in Central Park early Sunday morning was arrested late last night in an East Harlem Hospital. Police say Omar Hoist, 32, raped an unnamed 28-year-old woman on the northeast end of the park near 100th Street at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. Hoist, 32, remained at large until 11:45 last night, when he was spotted inside Metropolitan Hospital and arrested.
An NYPD spokesperson would not divulge what Hoist was doing in the hospital, but a tipster recognized him from a photograph and surveillance camera video distributed by police. The official statement from the department lists Hoist as "undomiciled." He is charged with Rape, Strangulation, and Assault. According to investigators:
The victim, 28, was approached by the suspect as she walked on East 88th Street near 5th Avenue at approximately 3:30 a.m. The suspect and the victim began talking "and continued to walk together toward Central Park."
Investigators say the victim and the suspect, who told her his name was Omar, eventually entered Central Park near 100th Street, and "after walking along a bike path, both sat down on a bench. The suspect then turned violent on the victim, and dragged her into a grassy area and raped her. The victim managed to flee the scene, and the suspect fled on foot in the opposite direction. After the attack, the victim ran to Mt. Sinai Hospital."
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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