Dereck Rivera-Deleon arrested in Central Park rape case, linked to 2 others

CENTRAL PARK, Manhattan (WABC) — A man wanted in the knifepoint sexual assault of a woman in Central Park last month has been arrested in Florida and will be charged in two other Central Park rape cases dating back to 2021, according to the NYPD.

NYPD detectives assigned to the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, with support from the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested Dereck Rivera-Deleon on Tuesday while he was working at a Burger King on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, police said. Authorities said Rivera-Deleon will be held for an extradition hearing in Miami on Wednesday.

Investigators allege Rivera-Deleon raped a 39-year-old woman in Central Park on Oct. 24 and will also be charged in separate rapes that occurred in the park on July 18, 2021, and Oct. 6, 2023. Police said all three cases are being investigated as stranger rapes.

The arrest comes more than two weeks after the October attack, which prompted a citywide search and increased police patrols in Central Park.

According to police, the victim was walking inside Central Park near East 67th Street and East Drive at about 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 when the suspect approached her, displayed a knife and sexually assaulted her. She was taken to a hospital in stable condition, and the suspect fled on foot.

Investigators later released surveillance images and video of the suspect as they worked to identify him.

Police said Rivera-Deleon, who lives in the Bronx, left New York after the latest attack and was located in Florida through his cellphone. Detectives said they have linked him to at least one of the rape cases through DNA evidence and have obtained positive identifications from victims in two of the incidents. Authorities are also examining whether he may be connected to other crimes in New York City and Miami.

The attack drew sharp condemnation from city leaders. Mayor Zohran Mamdani previously called the assault “horrific” and said every New Yorker should be able to walk safely anywhere in the city.

Following the October assault, the NYPD increased patrols throughout Central Park and urged visitors to remain aware of their surroundings. Police now say arrests have been made in four of the five reported rapes in Central Park this year.

The arrest comes during a difficult year for crime in Central Park. Major crime is up 17%, driven by increases in rapes and robberies, and the park also recorded its first homicide in at least a decade.

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