By Cindy Von Quednow, Brynn Gingras, John Miller, CNN
New York (CNN) — A man accused of raping three women in New York’s Central Park over the span of five years has been arrested in Florida, police announced Tuesday.
Dereck Rivera-Deleon, 30, was taken into custody with the support of the US Marshals while working at a Burger King in Miami, the New York Police Department said in a post on X.
He is accused of raping a woman in Central Park on October 24, 2026, and will also be charged with two rapes that occurred in the popular park in 2023 and 2021, police said.
DNA evidence and positive identification from victims connected Rivera-Deleon to the crimes, Miami Beach Police said in a news release obtained by CNN affiliate WPLG. Detectives determined he had recently arrived in South Florida, police said.
DNA was recovered in the 2021 Central Park sexual assault, but it didn’t match anyone in the system at that time, and the attacker was unknown to the victim, according to NYPD sources.
No DNA was recovered in the 2023 assault, but the attacker and the victim had previously spoken, and the victim knew part of his name, the sources said.
DNA recovered in the latest attack matched DNA from the 2021 case, leading investigators to reexamine other sexual assaults in Central Park, including the 2023 case, the sources said.
The 2023 victim identified the man linked to the 2021 and October attacks as her attacker, NYPD sources said.
After that identification, special victims investigators enlisted the help of the Regional Fugitive Task Force to track down Rivera-Deleon, who appeared to move around frequently. Investigators learned he was in Miami Beach and tracked him to his job, according to NYPD sources.
Rivera-Deleon is being held in Miami-Dade County and is scheduled for an extradition hearing on Thursday, officials there said. CNN is attempting to determine whether he has an attorney.
NYPD Crime Stoppers previously asked for help identifying the man following last month’s attack, saying he displayed a knife and sexually assaulted a 39-year-old woman before fleeing on foot. Rivera-Deleon allegedly forced the victim into a wooded area before assaulting her, Miami Beach police said.
This was the fifth reported rape in Central Park this year, according to the NYPD. Crime has been trending down overall in the city, but reported rapes increased 3.7% year to date, according to the NYPD.
The scenic park, popular among New Yorkers and tourists alike, was also the site of a homicide earlier this year: A 63-year-old woman was found dead with trauma to her head on the morning of September 27. A 36-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder the following day, police said.
CNN has reached out to the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the US Marshals for comment.
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CNN’s Gloria Pazmino and Cara Lynn Clarkson contributed to this report.
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