The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she was finishing up a run in the park near 102nd Street last Friday afternoon when a man punched her in the face and took off.
"I saw him coming towards me," the woman said. "I glanced at him. I didn't even look at him. There were no words, and the moment I looked at my phone, he hit me in the face."
The NYPD said Thursday they arrested 29-year-old Marquinton Moore for the attack. They said he is homeless.
The woman suffered a split nose and a busted lip.
"Blood was everywhere," she said.
The attack is one in a series of violent crimes that has occurred in Central Park this summer. Crime in the park is up 41% this year compared to the same time last year.
The NYPD said it believes migrant children and teens may be responsible for some of the incidents, which involve robbing people at knifepoint. They released surveillance photos Wednesday of three teenagers they are looking for who they said robbed a 27-year-old woman on August 11 in the park. Investigators said they took her phone and purse and later used her credit card.
The NYPD has increased patrols in the park and is planning to use drones to monitor for crime.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More Manhattan news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube