NEW YORK, N.Y.— Chief of Detectives for the NYPD Joseph Kenny says that a man is accused of trying to rape a woman who was sunbathing in Central Park last week.
Police said Wednesday that 43-year-old Jermaine Longmire was charged with sexual abuse and trying to rape someone.
Kenny says that the man is thought to have exposed himself to a 21-year-old woman who was sunbathing on Great Hill near West Drive and West 104th Street at 1:35 p.m. on June 24.
Police say that when she tried to run away, he tackled her from behind. The young woman fought him off while screaming for help. The woman was hurt all over her body, according to the prosecutors.
He said, “She fought back and she fought back hard.”
Police say that Longmire’s DNA was matched to the sample found on the sunbather’s bikini bottom. Police also said they used face recognition to link the suspect to the crime.
The suspect was first arrested on June 15 for allegedly reaching under a woman’s dress and grabbing her buttocks in a Brooklyn subway stop. Later, investigators connected him to what happened in Central Park, according to the police.
Police say that Longmire is also suspected of sexually attacking two women on the public transit system last year. That’s eight arrests in the past.
He went to court on Wednesday and is being held without bail.
Prosecutors said that Longmire has been arrested in Maryland and Florida. The man was charged with sexual assault, aggravated assault, battery, violating his probation, failure to appear, theft, trespassing, and contempt in Florida, according to the police.
According to court records, he was found guilty of aggravated assault with the plan to commit a felony in 2017. A report in the Ocala Star Banner said that Longmire was accused of trying to sexually assault a lady in a Florida mental hospital. Court records show that he was found guilty of the attack in 2018.
“As said, Jermaine Longmire tried to rape a woman last month while she was sunbathing in Central Park.” People in New York should be able to relax in our parks without worrying about their safety. “This alleged behavior will not be tolerated,” said District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “Please call our Special Victims Division at (212) 335-9373. They have the tools to hold offenders responsible and help survivors heal.”