Suspect In Custody After Allegedly Punching Woman In Face During Central Park Robbery
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police say they've arrested the suspect in a brazen Central Park robbery that was caught on camera.
Video shows a woman sitting on a park bench when a man walks up and tries to take her iPhone.
The 40-year-old victim attempts to fight off the robber. That's when he punches in her face and runs.
Moments later, a witness can be seen trying to trip the attacker as he makes his escape.
It happened in the busy northeast corner of Central Park near East 110th Street just after 10 a.m. Friday, and it was all seen by NYPD security cameras.
Monday, police announced the arrest of Gerardo Rosario Cruz, 53. They say he's homeless.
Rosario Cruz faces robbery charges.
CBS2's Nick Caloway showed the footage to stunned park-goers.
"That's really a shame. It's happening everywhere," Lower East Side resident Venus Mariani said.
"It shocks me. It shocks me," a Harlem resident named Terri said.
For park regulars, it's a stark reminder that crime can happen any time, anywhere.
"And in broad daylight. That's terrible. I've never seen anything like that here," Terri said.
"When I'm with my daughter, I always pay attention to who's around us, who's playing with her, who I'm sitting next to. You've got to pay mind to your surroundings, always," Harlem resident Louis Pauljajoute said.
It's crimes like this that have some residents feeling vulnerable just walking around the city. Venus Mariani is one of them.
"That's why I carry my mace. My mace," she said.
"You carry that around all the time?" Caloway asked.
"All the time. I don't leave home without it," Mariani said.
CBS2's Nick Caloway contributed to this report.
