A New York Parolee Attacked a Woman in Central Park and Three Strangers Had to Do What the State Refused To

March 29, 2026 Cat2, The Left
New Africa via shutterstock

New York's parole board handed a convicted sex predator his freedom ten months ago.

He used it to attack a woman in Central Park in broad daylight Monday afternoon.

Three strangers had to chase him off – because the people running New York decided he deserved another chance.

New York Parole Board Released Lateef Caldwell Ten Months Before the Central Park Attack

Lateef Caldwell, 30, approached a 45-year-old woman on a bench along East Drive near 109th Street at 5:40 p.m. Monday.

He pinned her to the bench and tried to tear her clothing off.

Three bystanders saw what was happening, ran toward Caldwell, and chased him from the scene.

Police caught him a few blocks away at 106th Street and East Drive.

Caldwell now faces charges of attempted rape, attempted sexual assault, and sexual abuse.

The victim was not physically injured.

That part is only true because three ordinary New Yorkers did what Kathy Hochul's government refused to do – stop him.

This Was Not a Surprise

Caldwell is not a mystery.

In 2022, he tackled a 23-year-old woman from behind in the East Village, wrestled her to the ground, and tried to remove her clothing.

He was convicted and served just over two years in prison.

New York's parole board released him in April 2025.

He was housed in a city shelter on Randall's Island and placed on parole supervision until 2029.

Less than a year later, he was back in Central Park doing the exact same thing.

This is the system working exactly as designed.

New York does not confine predatory sex offenders who have proven they cannot stop attacking women.

It processes them, releases them, sends them to a shelter, and waits to see what happens next.

Monday, we found out.

Hochul's Parole System Released a Repeat Sex Offender and Called It Supervision

Kathy Hochul stood in front of the New York legislature in January 2025 and declared that when it comes to repeat offenders, she wants them off the streets.

She said judges need to stop the "rinse and repeat cycle" of offenders released without consequences.

Three months later, her own parole apparatus handed Lateef Caldwell back to the streets of New York City.

He had a documented history of predatory sexual violence against women.

He had a specific modus operandi – targeting women alone, tackling them, and trying to rape them.

He was placed in a homeless shelter and told to check in with a parole officer.

That is not supervision.

That is paperwork.

The same parole system that owns this Monday attack has more than 24,000 active releasees under its responsibility right now, according to New York State DOCCS data.

Nearly a quarter of those released on parole are back in custody within three years.

Caldwell made it less than twelve months.

A Homeless Sex Offender Just Proved Central Park Is Not Safe

This attack did not happen in a dark alley at 2 a.m.

It happened at 5:40 in the evening in one of the most famous public parks on earth.

The victim was a woman sitting on a bench – the exact thing Central Park was built for.

She had every reason to feel safe.

She wasn't, because New York decided a man with a documented history of attacking women in exactly this way had earned his freedom.

The city is not generating new predators.

It is recycling the same ones, releasing them, and calling it supervision.

Last year, 43-year-old Jermaine Longmire was charged with attempted rape after attacking a woman sunbathing in Central Park – a man police said had eight prior arrests and a documented history of sexual assault across multiple states.

Same park. Same system. Different predator.

Kathy Hochul's New York does not protect women in Central Park.

It processes the men who attack them, gives them a shelter bed and a parole check-in date, and waits.

Monday, three strangers had to finish the job Albany refused to start.

Sources:

  • Julia Bonavita, "Good Samaritans Help Stop Alleged Park Predator Months After Repeat Offender Released," Fox News, March 24, 2026.
  • "Sex Offender Out on Parole Is Back in Custody After Allegedly Trying to Sexually Assault a Woman in Central Park in Broad Daylight," CBS New York, March 24, 2026.
  • "Good Samaritans Help Prevent Attempted Rape in Central Park: Police," West Side Rag, March 24, 2026.
  • New York State DOCCS Fact Sheet, December 2025.
  • "Convicted Offender Tied to Central Park Attempted Rape," amNewYork, March 4, 2025.