The Upper West Side man convicted of tackling and attempting to rape a woman sunbathing in Central Park nearly two years ago will be spending more than a decade behind bars.
Jermaine Longmire, 45, has been sentenced to 13 years in state prison followed by 15 years of post-release supervision, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced. A New York State Supreme Court jury convicted Longmire on all counts back in March, finding him guilty of one count of Attempted Rape in the First Degree, a class C felony, and one count of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a class D felony.
“Jermaine Longmire is facing significant time in state prison for attempting to rape a woman who was trying to enjoy her day off in Central Park,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “New Yorkers and visitors alike deserve to feel safe in Manhattan’s parks. I want to thank the survivor for bravely testifying in this trial. I hope this sentencing can offer a sense of closure as she continues to heal from this traumatic assault.”
The attack took place at approximately 1:30 p.m. on June 24, 2024 in the Great Hill section of Central Park near West Drive and West 104th Street. As established at trial, Longmire approached the 21-year-old victim while exposing himself; when she screamed and tried to flee, he tackled her from behind, pinned her to the ground, and attempted to rape her. She fought him off and Longmire ran down West Drive. Prosecutors said the survivor sustained injuries across her body.
Longmire was arrested on July 3, 2024 following a massive multi-agency search of Central Park involving NYPD drones, video canvassing, facial recognition, and the public release of a composite sketch. DNA recovered from the survivor’s bikini bottom was matched to Longmire. At the time of his arrest in the Central Park case, he was already in custody on forcible touching charges stemming from a separate incident on a southbound A train platform days after the Central Park attack. Public records show a string of additional prior arrests across multiple states. Longmire had been living in a NYCHA building on West 104th Street between Columbus and Manhattan avenues.
The case drew widespread attention to public safety in Central Park, and the NYPD installed additional surveillance cameras in and around the park in the weeks that followed.
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