Central Park sunbather attack: Suspect charged with attempted rape, sex abuse

The man wanted in connection to an attack of a woman sunbathing at Central Park was arrested and faces multiple charges, according to police.

The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Jermaine Longmire, was nabbed just before 2 p.m. Wednesday for his alleged role in the June 24 incident. He was charged with first-degree attempted rape and attempted sex abuse, police said.

The charges come after a 21-year-old woman was catching some rays in the Manhattan park around 1:30 p.m. when she said she saw a man approaching her while exposing himself. She told police she was by herself at the time, in the Great Hill area inside West 104th Street and West Drive in the park.

She tried to run but he tackled her from behind, police said. She screamed and managed to fight him off. He got away, running south down West Drive.

The victim was taken to the hospital, police said. She was able to provide information about the suspect to authorities, they said.

Police said that Longmire had eight prior arrests in New York City, as well as others in Florida, Maryland and New Jersey. He was previously wanted in a separate case involving forcible touching in March, in which he allegedly walked up behind a woman and grabbed her.

Longmire also had warrants out for his arrest in connection with other forcible touching incidents dating back to 2023, in which he came up from behind other women in the city's transit system and groped them as well, according to police.

He was nabbed on June 26 for an alleged groping inside the West 103rd Street and Central Park subway station. While in custody, a DNA sample taken from the Central Park victim bikini bottom was found to belong to Longmire.

Attorney information for Longmire was not immediately clear.