Man Convicted of Attempting to Rape Central Park Sunbather

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A Manhattan jury has convicted the Upper West Side man who tackled and attempted to rape a woman sunbathing in Central Park in June 2024.

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Jermaine Longmire, 45, was found guilty on all counts — one count of Attempted Rape in the First Degree and one count of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree — following a trial in New York State Supreme Court. He is expected to be sentenced on May 12.

As established at trial, Longmire approached a 21-year-old woman who was sunbathing in the Great Hill section of Central Park near West Drive and West 104th Street at around 1:30 p.m. on June 24, 2024, exposing himself as he approached. When the woman screamed and ran, Longmire tackled her from behind and pinned her to the ground. She fought him off; the DA’s office says she sustained injuries across her body.

“A woman was enjoying a sunny summer day in Central Park before Jermaine Longmire tackled her and attempted to rape her,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “New Yorkers and tourists alike deserve to enjoy New York’s parks without fearing for their safety. I thank the survivor for courageously recounting the assault and our skilled prosecutors for securing an all-count conviction in this case.”

Longmire was arrested on July 3, 2024, following a massive police search involving NYPD drones and the release of a composite sketch. The incident had drawn widespread attention to public safety in Central Park; the NYPD subsequently installed additional surveillance cameras in and around the park in the weeks that followed, with Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry describing them as permanent.

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Days before his arrest for the Central Park attack, Longmire had been arrested on June 27, 2024 on forcible touching charges stemming from a separate incident involving a 27-year-old woman on a southbound A train platform. Public records show additional arrests for forcible touching and sexual abuse in March and June 2023, as well as a bail jumping arrest in April 2024. Prosecutors have said he has a history of sex assaults in at least four states.

Longmire lives in a NYCHA building on West 104th Street between Columbus and Manhattan avenues.

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