Three Rapes In Two Months In Bronx Park

Harding Park in the Soundview section of the Bronx has been location for three rapes since August 27. A suspect was arrested on October 23.

Did Parks Department negligence help create rape den?
by David Green - Bronx News (BXNEW.NET)
OCTOBER 27, 2009

A serial rapist who preyed on Harding Park has been nabbed by DNA, cops say. Now residents are fuming at the Parks Department claiming they let the rapist have a place to attack his victims by leaving a park open.

Subject approached victim while she was sitting in a car, produced a firearm, demanded her property. Subject then took victim to a wooded area near the northeast corner of Bolton Avenue and Stanton Court and sexually assaulted her."

Two additional victims were also attacked inside the dimly lit and desolate Harding Park, on October 11 and most recently, on October 21.

Jose Gonzales, President of the Harding Park Homeowners Association, claims that after the second attack, his organization informed officials from the Parks Department of the situation, asking them to lock the gates to the park, but the Parks Department only locked one of the two gates, allowing for a third attack.

Fuming at the Parks Department, Gonzales charged, "They dropped the ball because they were locking the park every day, but they were just locking this gate... but the back entrance was still open."

"We have nobody up there," A PEP officer told A Walk in the Park when asked about the rapes. "You need a uniformed presents. You have it in contract parks, but that's it. They're (the Bronx) lucky if they have six (PEP) for patrol for the entire borough. And that's for one shift. We used to have people at night. That's also been cut."

Contract parks are parks which have dedicated PEP enforcement paid privately:

Read More:

Parks Enforcement Staff Short in Most Boroughs
The Chief - October 9, 2009 - By David Sims

City must PEP up and hire more park patrol officers
New York Daily News - September 2, 2009 - By Geoffrey Croft

Parks Enforcement Patrol not providing enough security
New York Daily News - September 2, 2009 - By Natalie Shields

Private group contracts cause safety patrol dip for borough parklands

Crime spike's no walk in the park
NY Post - October 25, 2009