NYPD investigating 2 unprovoked attacks in Central Park

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — NYPD officers were standing guard near the scene of one of two unrelated attacks that took place inside Central Park.

The location, along Center Drive at around 64th Street, is where police say a man on a motorcycle pushed a 39-year-old woman unprovoked and then struck her in the back with a hammer.

The suspect took off, and the victim refused medical attention at the scene.

Jill, a Manhattan resident who spoke with PIX11 News on Monday, said the latest attack doesn’t change her habits, but she said “it’s a reminder that you have to be more vigilant.”

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Earlier, at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, police confirmed that someone threw a rock that struck actor Michael Stuhlbarg while he walked inside the park along East Drive near East 90th Street.

Stuhlbarg chased down the suspect, identified by police as 27-year-old Xavier Israel, and police arrested Israel around the corner near the Russian Consulate.

Israel has an extensive criminal record. He was arrested and arraigned in January of 2022 and charged with second-degree felony robbery.

Bail was set, and while he was still in custody, prosecutors charged him in two other misdemeanor cases.

Israel was deemed unfit to stand trial in those two cases following a “730” mental health exam and then transferred to state mental health officials for treatment.

But because his felony robbery case was still active, Israel remained in custody. He was ultimately convicted and then transferred to state prison last November to finish serving the remainder of a two-year jail sentence.

At the end of that sentence, Israel was released and he was on parole when police arrested him Sunday for the alleged attack on Stuhlbarg.

Kathleen, who regularly visits the park, said the system needs to do better.

“You can’t have dangerous people walking around who have histories of hurting people out in the public continuing to do that,” said Kathleen.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the circumstances that allowed Israel to be arrested yet again because prosecutors now have a new active case against him. He’s expected to be arraigned late Monday on new criminal charges.

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