Police officials in New York City are looking for a suspect in a rape that happened near Central Park on Thursday morning. Police are now asking for the public’s help to identify and locate the man.

At about 7:20 a.m., police responded to an assault call near the New York park. According to NYPD Inspector Michael King, the victim, a 27-year-old woman, was sexually attacked while walking near Swan Lake and Wollman Rink.

A police report revealed that an unidentified man snatched the woman from behind and choked her, eventually knocking her out. Her arms and chin were wounded and bruised when she awakened. Bystanders saw the woman and helped her, while others immediately called the police. The woman was then taken to Mount Sinai West hospital for treatment.

Less than an hour later, another woman called the police and told them that a man had attempted to attack her on a footbridge near 103rd Street and the FDR Drive. The man reportedly attempted to choke the 54-year-old woman while he pulled her pants down.

Police arrived more quickly this time and arrested a man named Howard Shaw. The 38-year-old suspect was previously convicted of rape and sentenced to prison, and he was released on Tuesday on parole. Police said they are not yet sure if Shaw was to blame for the first attack.

Investigators found no similarities linking the two cases, apart from them being sexual in nature and occurring around the same time. Police currently suspect that a different individual perpetrated the first attack as CCTV footage of the first attacker showed him wearing different clothes. 

As part of the public appeal, photos of the suspect clothed in black and wearing a black baseball cap were shared on Twitter. The incident on Thursday is the sixth documented sexual assault in Central Park this year, compared to just two last year.