Creep wanted for raping woman at knifepoint in Central Park pictured for first time

The creep wanted for raping a woman at knifepoint in Central Park has been pictured for the first time — as locals remain terrified of the iconic green space.The NYPD released images on Monday of the knife-wielding man who dragged a woman into a wooded area of the park and sexually assaulted her near East 67th Street and Fifth Avenue on Saturday night.The woman was rushed to an area hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.Photos released by the department showed the alleged armed thug, who fled the scene, wearing a black hooded jacket, black pants, and a black backpack.Video also captured him walking down a sidewalk with earbuds clutched in his hands.It does not appear the victim knew her attacker, law-enforcement sources told The Post on Sunday, citing preliminary investigation details.The sexual assault was the fifth since the start of the year inside the NYPD’s Central Park Precinct — up from three rapes in the same region by this time last year, according to department crime data.

Shaken residents said on Sunday that they have steered clear of spending time near the famous Manhattan park after dark.Marketing executive Anna Brockway, 55, who lives part-time across the street from the park, said she sees “a lot of guys who kind of crash out there, drinking, sleeping.“At night, when I walk my dog, I go around the corner,” she said.“I try not to walk next to the park.”Anyone with information regarding the rape is urged to call the NYPD’s Sex Crimes Hotline at 1-212-267-7273 or 646-610-7272, the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782)....