Central Park rape suspect is held without bond as it emerges he was charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in Florida in February - but skipped his court date

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A homeless man accused of raping a woman in Central Park has been ordered held without bond in New York, after skipping out on sex crime charges in Florida.

Paulie Velez, 25, was arraigned on charges of rape, strangulation and robbery on Saturday in Manhattan Criminal Court, where a judge remanded him into custody on Rikers Island. 

Velez was arrested early Saturday morning after police say he attempted to sell the victim's stolen cell phone at a local convenience store. 

He was wanted in Florida after skipping court on charges related to his arrest in February in Miami-Dade County, prosecutors said in court. There, he was charged with kidnapping, battery and sexual assault, but never appeared in court after agreeing to the terms of a plea deal.

'The defendant stated he cut off his ankle monitor and fled,' Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Studley said at the arraignment, according to the New York Post. 

Paulie Velez, 25, was arraigned on charges of rape, strangulation and robbery on Saturday in Manhattan Criminal Court and remanded into custody on Rikers Island

Paulie Valez is arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of raping a woman in Central Park near Swan Lake. Velez who is homeless was remanded to jail

At arraignment, Velez wore a lavender button-down shirt and blue dress slacks. He did not speak in court, other than to mumble inaudibly and sway back and forth as he faced the judge

At arraignment, Velez wore a lavender button-down shirt and blue dress slacks. He did not speak in court, other than to mumble inaudibly and sway back and forth as he faced the judge. 

Velez also had an active bench warrant in New York over a December 2019 arrest for stealing two packs of cigarettes from a Midtown 7-Eleven. He also had prior arrests in Las Vegas and Pennsylvania, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors alleged that strong evidence showed that Velez committed the Central Park rape, strangling the victim unconscious before sexually assaulting her and stealing her cell phone.

'The defendant raped a stranger in Central Park, and was captured on video fleeing from the scene and was in possession of the victim's phone,' Studley said in court. 

Police took Velez into custody in Lower Manhattan just before 1am after receiving a tip from the Crimestoppers hotline.

Velez was wanted in Florida after skipping court in charges related to his arrest in February in Miami-Dade County

In Florida, he was charged with kidnapping, battery and sexual assault, but never appeared in court after agreeing to the terms of a plea deal, sources said

Authorities believe he is responsible for the Thursday morning sexual assault of a 27-year-old female jogger. 

The suspect - who was caught on surveillance video entering the N and R subway station after the attack - allegedly came up behind the woman near a pond at the southern end of the park, strangled her until she was unconscious and raped her.  

He was later caught on camera attempting to sell the victim's cell phone at a CBD store in Times Square. 

'Yesterday, after the problem he did, he come to the store, he want to sell the phone. Probably the phone - he take it from the girl after he rape her,' the store clerk told ABC 7, noting that he refused to buy the suspected stolen property.  

Velez faces charges of rape, robbery, strangulation, assault, sex abuse and criminal possession of stolen property.  

Velez was arrested early Saturday morning after police say he attempted to sell the victim's stolen cell phone at a local convenience store

Paulie Velez, 25 - a homeless man accused of raping a woman in Central Park - was arrested in Lower Manhattan just before 1am Saturday morning

Police say Velez (pictured on left entering a subway station near Central Park) allegedly came up behind a woman jogging near Swan Lake, strangled her until she was unconscious and raped her. He was later caught on surveillance video (right) attempting to sell the victim's cell phone at a CBD store in Times Square

Police said the jogger was running on a foot-path near Swan Lake at 7:20am Thursday when a man dressed in all black, possibly in his 20s, attacked and sexually assaulted her. 

She was reportedly knocked to the ground, choked until she passed out and raped. 

The victim alerted police after regaining consciousness and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police said there would be increased patrols in Central Park.  

Security footage released by the New York Police Department Friday shows the suspect, believed to be Velez, wearing black pants, shirt, mask and a baseball cap using an emergency exit to enter a train station, thereby avoiding the fare. 

More images released on Friday show the man standing in a bodega with his hands in his pockets.

NYPD released this composite of the man they're seeking in relation to the attack in Central Park on Friday. The suspect is believed to be Velez

Security footage showed the suspect wearing black pants, shirt, mask and a baseball cap in a bodega

New York Police officers responded to a sexual assault that took place in Central Park on November 11, a day after a 13-year-old girl was raped in the Bronx

The jogger was running down Swan Lake at 7:20 am when a man dressed in all black attacked

The attack comes as New York City continues to experience a surge in crime. So far this year, the city has seen 1,216 rapes, about 2.5 per cent more than had been recorded at the same point of 2020. 

The Central Park attack took place only 25 minutes before a registered sex offender attempted to rape a woman on Randall's Island and 45 minutes before another victim was sexually-assaulted in the Manhattan park.

Howard Shaw, 38, was charged over the Randall's Island assault - which took place two days after he was released from state prison where he was serving a sentence for a 2005 robbery and a rape. 

The registered sex offender was jailed in Green Haven Correction Facility in 2005 for raping a 25-year-old woman in Queens while she was taking out the trash. 

He approached the victim by asking her for the time before putting his hand around her waist and the other over her mouth as he dragged her toward a stairwell. 

Police say three sexual-related attacks took place in NYC on Thursday morning

There, Shaw choked, punched and then raped her, police said following his arrest on Thursday.  

Police said in a briefing on Thursday that Shaw was in custody and still being questioned. 

About 45 minutes after the first assault, another woman was walking on a foot path near 103rd street and FDR Drive when she was attacked.   

Howard Shaw, 38, (pictured) was charged over the assault - which took place two days after he was released from state prison where he was serving a sentence for a 2005 robbery and a rape

A suspect was arrested over the assault, although police have yet to identify him, or say whether the incidents are connected. 

The assaults also came hours after a 13 year-old girl was raped in the Bronx's Crotona Park as she was heading home from school. 

The Bronx incident occurred on Wednesday, at 2:35pm, when an unknown man approached the 13-year-old girl and threw her to the ground. 

After the assault, he stole her cell phone and ran off. The teen was taken to a nearby hospital. 

Police have released security footage of the alleged perpetrator who was wearing a grey hoody, jeans, black trainers, and carrying a jacket over his left shoulder. 

Video shows the suspect sitting on the steps outside a fast-food shop.  

Police are still on the lookout for the man who raped a teen in Crotona Park. They released this image and CCTV footage of their suspect 

Meanwhile, New York City also continues to see a surge in other types of violent crime. 

Felony assaults went up from 17,910 last year, to 19,392 this year, and robbery has gone up from 11,104 to 11,340. 

While murders dropped from 397 to 407 and shootings fell from 1,632 to 1,610, overall crime is still up 1.73 per cent from last year.  

Investigations into the four attacks are ongoing.

Overall crime in New York City continues to steadily grow