A 65-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood last month, police said.

According to the NYPD, the rape was reported on Monday, Sept. 15, and took place on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at around 11 a.m. inside the Williamsbridge Oval Park, in the vicinity of Reservoir Place and Reservoir Oval East.

Police said, “A 65-year-old female complainant was walking when an unknown individual grabbed her from behind, displayed a knife and sexually assaulted her.” They added, “There is no arrest and the investigation remains ongoing.”

The park area in question is located opposite the Norwood News office. Though we were officially on hiatus on Aug. 20, we were actually reporting on another story elsewhere in the borough on the day of the incident.

As reported, a 14-year-old boy was slashed in the Williamsbridge Oval in October 2021 and in June 2024, a 66-year-old man was murdered in a fatal stabbing inside the park in the same general area where the rape took place.

In May, an 18-year-old man was shot dead a block from the Oval on the corner of East Gun Hill Road and Putnam Place and on Aug. 5, 14-year-old Ángel Miguel Mendoza Hernández was also fatally stabbed in the Oval in front of the recreation center.

The latest incident has again raised the need for camera installation in the Oval, which was most recently discussed in the context of Ángel’s murder. State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) already confirmed to Norwood News last month that camera installation across the park has been funded since 2024 and cameras are due to be installed by NYC Parks and monitored by the NYPD.

Norwood News reached out to both departments once again for an update on the installation after NYPD detectives asked to look at the CCTV cameras at the office of Norwood News, located at the Keeper’s House which faces the general area of the Oval where the rape took place. However, the camera in question doesn’t face the park and is angled more in the direction of Putnam Place. NYC Parks responded to our request, saying, “Please refer to NYPD for comment.” We will share any updates we receive.

During a vigil in the Oval for Ángel held Friday, Aug. 22, organized by Rivera and Heather Guerino of Crusaders for Children’s Rights, members of Ángel’s family attended, as did Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, the NYPD, clergy, local residents, and community groups.

Rivera confirmed at the vigil that $138,000 he allocated to NYC Parks last year for camera installation in the park is to be used by Parks to install six exterior, 360-degree cameras and 14 interior fixed-dome cameras, along with other electronic upgrades. He said additional funding is being used for bike installation and more inside the recreation center.

Asked about the exact locations of the cameras, the senator said he would get back to us on this as he didn’t have that information yet. He added that the cameras would be monitored by the NYPD.

As reported, Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) and some local community groups and leaders held a press conference in the Oval on Aug. 15, and also addressed the need for more security in the park. The councilman said funding of $10 million he allocated to NYC Parks last year is to be used for better lighting and other upgrades in the Oval.

Norwood News reached out to various local elected officials for comment on the latest rape. Reacting to news of the incident at an unrelated event in Kingsbridge on Tuesday morning, Sept. 16, the assemblyman described it as “horrible.” He added that he was surprised to hear that it took place in the morning time. “I didn’t think criminals would be up that early,” he said.

Meanwhile, the councilman said, “While I am making record investments in the Williamsbridge Oval, Mayor Adams continues to ignore the needs of us here in Norwood. Even after speaking to him personally, his NYPD at 1 Police Plaza has still not provided [the] support our community deserves.”

He added, “This is an absolutely heinous crime. A 65-year-old woman was raped in broad daylight at Williamsbridge Oval. Where are the cameras we pushed for after the murder of Angel Mendoza? Where is the extra lighting? Where is the enhanced patrol? All of these safety measures were outlined in an August 11 letter to NYPD Commissioner Tisch. We never received a response.”

The councilman continued, “Year after year, I have invested in this park with a dedicated clean-up crew, multi-million dollar infrastructure projects, and free community events. But how can we safely bring our community together under these circumstances? The community is sick of being ignored and fearful for their lives. We demand that Mayor Adams and his administration finally step up and ensure the safety of our beloved park, because every single New Yorker deserves it.”

Norwood News also reached out to the Mayor’s Office for comment as well as, once again, to the The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DAS NY), which provides construction, financing, and allied services for specific projects, and since it was referenced in previous discussions in the context of camera funding.

A DAS NY spokesperson responded, saying, on Wednesday, Sept. 17,  “We are deeply saddened by the recent tragic incidents at Williamsbridge Oval. We note the following timeline:

• The Senate Finance Committee directed DASNY to administer this NYC Parks and Recreation CREST grant in July 2024;
• DASNY completed due diligence, financial, and legal reviews by September 2024;
• DASNY received final legislative and Executive approval at the end of December 2024; and
• DASNY executed the grant disbursement agreement in February 2025.

DASNY is ready to reimburse NYC Parks and Recreation when they incur costs and submit for reimbursement.”

We reached out once again to Parks for comment and will share any feedback on the status of the camera request we receive. City Hall has since said they expect the cameras to be installed by mid to late October.

As reported, year-to-date rape statistics have climbed in the 46th, 50th, and 52nd Precincts (the latter being the precinct in which the latest rape took place). However, an NYPD official from the special victims unit told Norwood News on Sept. 15 that a change in classification around rape / sexual assault crime statistics in 2024 has recently caused a general widespread climb in rape statistics.

For more on the topic around safety in the Oval, click here, here, here, here, and here. To read some other recent related coverage on rape crimes, click here, here, and here.

To report a sex crime to the NYPD, you should call 911 if you are in immediate danger. For non-emergencies, use the dedicated hotline for the Special Victims Division. 

The District Attorney’s office also urges anyone who is, or who believes someone they know is, the victim of a sex crime to call the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.

Contact numbers at the Bronx District Attorneys Office, including one for victims of sex crimes, are included below:

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.