NEW YORK — A major uptick of muggings in Central Park — including three violent robberies within a 28-hour span — has left parkgoers on edge, wondering if they will be targeted next, visitors to the iconic greenspace said Saturday.

“It’s a little unnerving,” Upper West Side resident Deborah Moralez said about the jump in robberies as she entered the park at 97th Street on a balmy, sun-dappled Saturday afternoon. “I’m a little blown away by it actually.”

Moralez, 69, enjoys taking walks through Central Park on the weekends. Normally, she feels “fairly safe,” she said, but the recent robberies have given her pause.

“It’s very unsettling but it’s not going to stop me from coming into the park,” she said defiantly.

Police have seen a five-fold jump in robberies in Central Park this year, from three last year to 15 as of April 21.

That number doesn’t include the three that happened within 28 hours beginning on Thursday night, when a mugger punched and nearly raped a 28-year-old woman inside the park at W. 97th St., right where Moralez entered Saturday.

The woman was walking through the park at about 7:15 p.m. when her attacker grabbed her from behind, police said. He demanded her phone and wallet, then said he wanted to have sex with her before he punched her, police said.

The woman purposely fell to the ground and curled up, tucking her bag against her body to stop the thief from grabbing it or trying to take off her clothes, police said. The thief ran off with the woman’s phone and the woman was not seriously harmed.

At 6:15 a.m. Friday, three young men with a handgun robbed a 42-year-old man near East 59th St. and East Drive. One of the thieves put a gun to the victim’s head while his two accomplices repeatedly punched him in the face and knocked him to the ground before making off with his cellphone and wallet.

The mayhem continued about 9:40 p.m. Friday night when a crew of teenage muggers tried to hold up a 25-year-old man near E. 109th St. and East Drive, cops said. The robbers demanded his phone, but the victim charged at them, sending them running off.

...continued

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.