Police: Woman sexually assaulted while jogging in Upper Manhattan park
NEW YORK -- Police are searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman who was jogging in a park in Upper Manhattan.
As CBS2's Alecia Reid reports, people who visit Fort Tryon Park regularly say it's usually busy with folks getting their workout in, but Saturday morning, one woman doing just that was sexually assaulted.
For hours, the NYPD surveilled the area, taking digital images as they worked to find clues in the park near the Henry Hudson Parkway and Dyckman Street.
"I'm really sorry for that woman," Harlem resident Martine Fontaine said.
Law enforcement officials say just after 11 a.m. Saturday, the victim was jogging when a man approached then sexually assaulted her. Police say the suspect fled on a dark-colored moped.
"I have to get back to being more on point and careful and aware of everything, my surroundings, the time of day. And if at 11 a.m. we're not safe? That's a problem," Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Sandrine Wellington said.
People in the area were shocked to hear about the attack.
"It's terrible. I can't imagine that's... That's broad daylight, too," Dan Vector said.
"I think it's pretty well-populated. It seems pretty safe, so that's pretty surprising," Susan Cervantes said.
"I'm just pretty surprised that it happened in broad daylight. Things like that don't normally happen. There's people biking here all the time, running trails, I'm here just casually walking, so finding that out, I'm like, whoa," one man said.
This sexual assault has fellow joggers on edge.
"What else can we do? I already jog with a friend. I already jog at decent hours. I don't jog outside at late hours. So it's puzzling and very disturbing," Fontaine said.
The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment. As of this hour, the suspect is still at large.