April 19

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
First Boston Marathon held, 1897
American Revolution
The American Revolution begins, 1775
Automotive
Mario Andretti competes in first Indy car event, 1964
Civil War
Baltimoreans attack Union troops, 1861
Cold War
Soviet clowns lampoon U.S. foreign policy, 1949
Crime
Central Park jogger attack shocks New York City, 1989
Disaster
Earthquake rocks Guatemala, 1902
General Interest
First blood in the Civil War, 1861
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins, 1943
Branch Davidian compound burns, 1993
Truck bomb explodes in Oklahoma City, 1995
Hollywood
My Big Fat Greek Wedding released, 2002
Literary
Lord Byron dies in Greece, 1824
Music
The Captain and Tennille bring wedded bliss to the pop charts with their first hit record, 1975
Old West
Wyatt Earp dropped from Wichita police force, 1876
Presidential
Jefferson sells servant to Madison, 1809
Sports
First Boston Marathon run, 1897
Vietnam War
Air Force pilot cited for bravery, 1967
Vietnam Veterans Against the War demonstrate, 1971
World War I
Discussion of Italian claims begins at Paris peace conference, 1919
World War II
Warsaw ghetto uprising put down, 1943

Crime

Apr 19, 1989:

Central Park jogger attack shocks New York City

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On this day in 1989, a 28-year-old female investment banker is severely beaten and sexually assaulted while jogging in New York City’s Central Park. Five teenagers from Harlem were convicted of the crime, which shocked New Yorkers for its randomness and viciousness and became emblematic of the perceived lawlessness of the city at the time. The case was also racially divisive, as the teens were black and Hispanic and the victim was white.

The “Central Park jogger,” as she became known in the media, was discovered by passerby in a muddy ravine, her skull smashed and near death, hours after she went for a jog in the park around 9 p.m. After being rescued, she spent nearly two weeks in a coma, but surprised doctors by eventually recovering from most of her injuries. However, she remembered nothing about the near-fatal attack or the events leading up to it.

Police quickly charged five male teens with the crime; four made videotaped confessions, while implicating a fifth suspect. The teens were part of a larger group of youths who had been roaming Central Park on the night of April 19, robbing and beating people. The public became familiar with a new term, “wilding,” to describe the gang’s random, violent rampage. 

The teens charged in the Central Park jogger attack soon claimed their confessions had been coerced by the police; however, the five were convicted in two separate trials in 1990, and received prison sentences ranging from five to 15 years. Then, in 2002, a convicted murderer and serial rapist, already behind bars, came forward to confess he had attacked the Central Park jogger when he was 17 and had acted alone. DNA evidence later confirmed his rape claim. In December 2002, the convictions of the five men originally charged in the case were overturned. The men later filed multi-million dollar lawsuits against New York City, which have not been settled.

In 2003, the Central Park jogger, Trisha Meili, publicly revealed her identity by publishing a book about her ordeal. In the years after the attack, she became a motivational speaker and advocate for victims of sexual assault and brain injury.

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This Week in History, Apr 19 - Apr 25

Apr 19, 1989
Central Park jogger attack shocks New York City
Apr 20, 1999
A massacre at Columbine High School
Apr 21, 1992
Executions resume in California
Apr 22, 1886
Seduction is made illegal
Apr 22, 1934
An FBI agent is killed in a gangster raid
Apr 23, 1969
Sirhan Sirhan receives death penalty
Apr 24, 1922
Forensic evidence is introduced in Australia
Apr 25, 1989
A father is exonerated after 21 years

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