Drones over Central Park? NYC Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD looking to technology as police investigate another assault.

NEW YORK — With crime on the rise in Central Park, Mayor Eric Adams says he is looking into drones and other technology. 

It comes as police investigate the latest assault that happened around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators say a man pushed an 82-year-old woman at the park’s tennis courts near the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. 

NYPD crime data shows a 200% spike in robberies in the precinct so far this year. 

NYC Mayor Adams considering drones in Central Park

Mayor Eric Adams spoke about crime in city parks during an unrelated press conference Tuesday. 

“I think we could do a better job of using drones to police the area from the sky. And there’s some technology that we’re looking at that I think is going to assist us,” Adams said.

The NYPD’s chief of patrol says the “drone as a first responder program” will be up and flying in Central Park by the end of the month. Two station houses in Brooklyn and one in the Bronx will also get them. The way it works is alerts from the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system will activate the drones to help show officers the scene before they arrive.

The Legal Aid Society told CBS New York the drones would “disproportionately target our clients and all Black and Brown New Yorkers, while doing very little to prevent crime.”

The NYPD already uses drones to monitor the waters for sharks and swimmers in distress, and also for large scale events, hostage situations and rooftop searches. Back in June, they also used drones to search Central Park for a sex assault suspect.

Central Park crime stats show spike so far this year

The NYPD says major crimes are increasing at an alarming rate in part of the park, up at least 46% since last year. 

Robberies are up 200% in the Central Park Precinct, increasing from 10 in 2023 to at least 30 so far this year. Felony assaults are also up nearly 43%.

This year, there have been several armed robberies and random attacks in the park, including a woman hit with a hammer and a rock thrown at actor Michael Stuhlbarg. In June, a woman was sexually assaulted while sunbathing in the Great Hill section.

The NYPD says as of Tuesday, they’ve added an additional 40 officers to the southern part of Central Park, where a lot of the crimes are happening, and they will be deploying “numerous” officers into the area, including mounted officers and officers on foot, bicycles and in vehicles.

“If something does happen in this park … and we miss it, we have a full-fledged apprehension plan that will go into effect because we know where these people are going after the robberies. We have a good idea. So it’s a wholesome plan, it starts tonight, and like the NYPD always does, we will make this happen. We are the best police department in the world, and we’ll keep being the safest city in this nation and in this world,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Central Park Conservancy said, “The Central Park Conservancy is encouraged by NYPD’s expanded presence in the Park. We want New Yorkers and visitors to continue feeling safe and protected inside this beloved public space that the Conservancy cares for every day of the year.”

Here’s what parkgoers have to say

Some parkgoers that spoke to CBS News New York questioned whether drones will deter crime. 

“Does anybody feel safe anywhere?” Upper West Side resident John Goldenthal asked. “I’m not sure what the solutions are entirely, but we need some more of a police presence.”

“There are going to be certain areas that are a little bit more desolate, that you won’t have as many people, and I think those are also the areas he would have to be concerned about,” said Upper West Side resident Michelle Labella.

Others welcomed the idea of more surveillance.

“It would be nice to have an added layer of security, especially in the early morning and the evenings,” one woman said.

“I think we should definitely have drones in the sky,” another person said.

“I feel like it’s an extra layer of security, especially when you’re out there with your family, children, your pets, elderly people,” one man said.

2 robberies within 24 hours in Central Park

Meanwhile, police are searching for two suspects after two 20-year-old men were robbed shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday on 62nd Street and West Drive. CBS News New York’s Alice Gainer spoke to the victims, Francoise and Zyhier, Wednesday.

“Where we were sitting in the park was a part of [the NYPD’s] patrol on the pathway that we were on, and while we were sitting there for those two hours, the police cars patrolled at least, I would say, under 15 times,” Francoise said.

Still, they were robbed.

“It all happened so fast,” Francoise said.

They said they had been sitting on a bench in Central Park and saw a group of teenagers walk by them. About 10 minutes later, as they were getting ready to leave, two suspects, who they describe as Hispanic teens, approached from behind.

“He just gets close to me, and he just like rips my chains off my neck,” Zyhier said.

“He snatched the vapes out of our hands,” Francoise said.

They said they only had to walk about 20 feet after the incident to find an officer. They said drones could be a good preventative tool for the police to use more frequently, but they won’t be going to Central Park anytime soon.

“Stay away for a little while,” Zyhier said.

“I think we’re done with parks for the meantime,” Francoise said.

This was the second robbery in the park within a span of 24 hours. Around 1 a.m. Tuesday on 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, police say three men were approached by a group of teens, who stole a necklace and AirPods.

“This is a migrant robbery pattern,” Chell said.

Police said these robberies seem to be happening between 7 p.m. and midnight, and the suspects are usually in groups of two to eight individuals.

During a press conference, the NYPD said a 17-year-old and an 11-year-old were arrested for a robbery in transit early Wednesday morning. The 11-year-old has allegedly been caught on video using credit cards stolen during robberies in Central Park.

Anyone with information about the latest attacks is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish.

Elijah Westbrook

Elijah Westbrook is an Emmy award-winning journalist. He joined CBS News New York in January 2022.