new York
A man accused of raping three women in New York’s Central Park over five years has been arrested in Florida, police said Tuesday.
Dereck Rivera-Deleon, 30, was arrested with the support of US Marshals while working at a Burger King in Miami, New York police said in a post on X.
He is accused of raping a woman in Central Park on Oct. 24, 2026, and will also be charged with two rapes that occurred in the popular park in 2023 and 2021, police said.
DNA evidence and positive victim identification link Rivera-Deleon to the crimes, Miami Beach police said in a news release obtained by CNN affiliate WPLG. Detectives determined he had recently arrived in South Florida, police said.
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Man accused of raping three women in New York’s Central Park arrested in Miami
Rivera-Deleon is being held in Miami-Dade County and is expected to face an extradition hearing Wednesday, officials said. CNN is trying to determine if he has an attorney.
NYPD Crime Stoppers previously asked for help identifying the man following last month’s attack, saying he brandished a knife and sexually assaulted a 39-year-old woman before fleeing on foot. Rivera-Deleon allegedly forced the victim into a wooded area before assaulting him, Miami Beach police said.
This is the fifth rape reported in Central Park this year, according to the New York Police Department. Crime has declined overall in the city, but reported rapes have increased 3.7 percent since the start of the year, according to the New York Police Department.
The picturesque park, popular with New Yorkers and tourists, was also the scene of a homicide earlier this year: a 63-year-old woman was found dead with head trauma on the morning of September 27. A 36-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder the next day, police said.
CNN has reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the US Marshals for comment.
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