Democrats Silent After Violent Attack in Wealthy NYC Neighborhood as Suspect Remains at Large

Leading New York Democrats have not publicly addressed the latest in a series of violent incidents in Central Park, where police are searching for a suspect accused of sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint.

According to the NYPD, a 39-year-old woman was raped by a stranger at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday near East 67th Street and East Drive. The attacker allegedly threatened her with a knife. The incident marks the fifth reported rape in the NYPD’s Central Park Precinct this year, department 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 most prominent Democratic officials, have so far offered no public comments on the Central Park attack. Their silence stands in sharp contrast to their 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 remained in stable condition.

Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council, condemned the attack in a post on X, writing 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.”

Anyone with information about the suspect or the attack is asked to contact the NYPD Sex Crimes Hotline at 1-212-267-7273 or 646-610-7272. Tips can also be submitted to the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or in Spanish at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public may submit information through the Crime Stoppers website at or on X at @NYPDTips.

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

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

Mauro said the increase raises broader concerns about public safety in New York City. He noted that police commanders track felonies in Central Park and subway crime as two key “bellwether metrics.”

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

The NYPD said the investigation into Saturday’s assault remains active and ongoing.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the attack during 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.”