An 11-year-old migrant boy has been arrested in connection with an assault in Central Park, as NYPD officers crack down on a rise in attacks at the iconic green space, police said Wednesday.
Officers arrested the child around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown, which houses migrant families, authorities said.
Officers targeted the boy after learning he was in possession of credit cards stolen in a recent robbery at the park, police sources said.
Police filed a complaint against a minor and released the child into the care of a guardian, an NYPD spokesman said.
Investigators believe the child is part of a migrant crew responsible for at least some of the thefts inside the park, a police source said.
Since Aug. 4, cops have seen a 222 percent increase in thefts in Central Park this year, with 29 incidents this year compared to nine at the same time last year. Felony assaults have also increased in Central Park this year, from five at the same time last year to 10 so far this year, cops said.
After the child was taken into custody, two 20-year-old men were assaulted in the park Tuesday night, cops said. The two men were walking along West Drive near W. 62nd St. around 10:45 p.m. when two crooks approached them and forced them to give up their jewelry and a hat.
No arrests have been made following the attack.
On Tuesday at 1 a.m., two men, ages 21 and 35, and a 15-year-old boy were robbed of their jewelry and headphones at gunpoint just outside the park, at the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue.
The victims told police the robbery was committed by four teenagers armed with a gun. Officers eventually arrested three of the teenagers, ages 14, 16 and 17. All three were charged with robbery.
The weapon was not found and the fourth teenager was not arrested.
Thefts in the park began to increase in the spring. By late April, police were already investigating 18 thefts in Central Park and pledged to increase patrols, install cameras and bring in NYPD auxiliary officers to protect park visitors.
In May, Central Park was added to the NYPD’s First Responder drone pilot program, in which drones fly over areas where 911 calls have been made. The roof of the Central Park police station has been outfitted with equipment for drone takeoffs and landings.
On Tuesday, Mayor Adams said the NYPD “could do a better job using drones” to monitor Central Park “from the sky.”
“We’re looking at new technologies that I think will help us,” Adams added. “People need to feel safe in all of our parks in general, but particularly in Central Park because of the large number of people that visit it.”
“When something happens in Central Park, it becomes a huge international issue,” he added. “So we’re aware of the situation. And the (NYPD) commissioner responds accordingly.”
