Man charged with murder after 63-year-old woman found dead in Central Park

Posted September 28, 2026 12:24 pm

2 min read

A man was arrested for murder after a 63-year-old woman was found dead in New York City’s Central Park, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

In a statement to Global News, the NYPD said, “On Sunday, September 27, 2026, at approximately 0943 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an unconscious person in the vicinity of East Drive and East 74 Street, within the confines of the Central Park Precinct.”

“Upon arrival, officers observed a 63-year-old female, unconscious and unresponsive, with trauma to the head. EMS responded and pronounced the female deceased at the scene. The investigation remains ongoing,” police added.

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The woman’s identity is being withheld pending proper notification of family members.

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The NYPD confirmed that Jonathan Robles, 36, of New York, was arrested on Sunday and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

0:54 NYPD shoot woman in Times Square after two people stabbed, one killed

The incident comes after a woman randomly stabbed two people in New York City’s Times Square last month, killing a Bank of America vice president.

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The woman who died, Erin Piacenti, 32, was one of two people who were stabbed in the tourist and theatre hub, a few blocks from Bank of America’s office tower in New York.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” the bank said in a statement.

The other victim was a 68-year-old man whose identity hasn’t been released.

Police identified the attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens. Officers shot and killed her after the stabbing.

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Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has said the woman had mental-health-related encounters with police in 2018 and 2019 but had no arrest record in New York City.

During the news conference, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he wanted to thank “the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse.”

“This is what the men and women of this department do every single day to keep our city safe. As the standard, there will be an internal investigation and body-worn camera footage will be released to the public,” he added.