Central Park attempted rape suspect charged: source

CENTRAL PARK - The suspect in Central Park's attempted rape has been charged with the attack, FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt said.

The suspect, 43-year-old Jermaine Longmire, faced a judge in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday.

Longmire is being held without bail in the attack. He pleaded not guilty in court this afternoon. 

"As alleged, Jermaine Longmire attempted to rape a woman in Central Park while she was sunbathing last month. Our parks should be a place where New Yorkers can relax without fearing for their safety, and this alleged conduct will not be tolerated," said District Attorney Bragg said in a statement. "Our Special Victims Division has the resources to both hold offenders accountable and support survivors as they heal; please call us at 212-335-9373," 

In court, the suspect's attorney said he most recently lived in a men’s shelter on 123rd Street. The NYPD says he had also lived at West 104th street where the attempted rape occurred.  

The NYPD told FOX 5 that the DNA on her bathing suit bottom matches him. 

"Among the items collected were the survivor's clothing, in particular her bikini bottom. This article of clothing was processed by a forensic identification section at the lab for potential touch DNA," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. "Once the examination was complete, Jermaine Longmire's DNA was discovered on the survivors bikini bottom."

As FOX 5 NY first reported on Monday, the source says the DNA results came back on Monday and matched a suspect, who's already in custody and charged with a separate 2023 crime involving an alleged forcible touching in the subway station at West 103 Street and Central Park West.

According to officials, the suspect attempted to rape a 21-year-old woman, who was sunbathing, last week near 104th Street and West Drive in a more secluded area of the park.

The woman saw a man coming toward her, allegedly exposing himself. She screamed and ran off, but he tackled her from behind and attempted to rape her, police said. The woman was able to fight off the suspect.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where she gave Special Victim Detective a description of the suspect, who was described as a man standing six feet tall, with a dark complexion, medium build, curly hair, and last seen wearing light-colored shorts and a shirt.