New video of person of interest after rape of woman in Central Park near Swan Lake
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- There is new video of the man suspected of raping a woman in Central Park.
Eyewitness News obtained surveillance video from a store where he apparently tried to sell the victim's cellphone after the attack.
In several new photos, he even pulled his mask down, giving a clear shot of his face.
The 27-year-old woman said she was grabbed from behind and put in a chokehold at East 62nd Street and Fifth Avenue on Thursday, near Swan Lake and Wollman Rink, just after 7:20 a.m.
She lost consciousness and awoke with cuts, abrasions, and bruises to her arms and chin.
The woman was taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital for treatment and is in stable condition.
The suspect was caught on surveillance video entering the N and R subway station near the south end of Central Park.
He was later caught on video at the Smoke Valley CVD store near Times Square trying to sell the victim's cellphone. The store clerk refused to buy the phone because he suspected it was stolen.
On Friday, the NYPD says they have stepped up patrols in the area.
"We are exploring all angles, as I said. We are working diligently. We are following a lot of different leads at this time. As Captain Gallagher said, he will have increased patrols in the park. So we do not want to panic or alarm anyone that the park is unsafe at that time," said Inspector Michael King, NYPD.
Sexual assaults are uncommon in Central Park. But Thursday's is the sixth sexual assault reported in the 840-acre park so far this year compared to two by this time last year.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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