The guy wanted for raping a woman at knifepoint in Central Park has been photographed for the first time – as residents remain terrified of the iconic green space.
The NYPD released images Monday of the knife-wielding man who dragged a woman into a wooded area of the park and sexually assaulted her near East 67th Street and Fifth Avenue Saturday evening.
The woman was rushed to an area hospital, where she was found to be in stable condition.
Photos released by the department showed the suspected armed thug, who fled the scene, wearing a black hooded jacket, black pants and a black backpack.
The video also shows him walking on a sidewalk with headphones in his hand.
It does not appear the victim knew her attacker, police sources told The Post on Sunday, citing details of the preliminary investigation.
The sexual assault was the fifth so far this year in the New York Police Department’s Central Park district, compared to three rapes in the same area last year, according to the department’s crime data.
Shaken residents said Sunday they were avoiding spending time near Manhattan’s famous park after dark.
Marketing manager Anna Brockway, 55, who lives part-time across the street from the park, said she sees “a lot of guys crashing there, drinking, sleeping.
“At night, when I walk my dog, I turn the corner,” she said. “I try not to walk near the park.”
Anyone with information regarding the rape is asked to call the NYPD 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).
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