Authorities Nab Alleged Serial Rapist Over 1,000 Miles Away From Scenes Of Crime

Police arrested Dereck Rivera-Deleon in Miami Beach on Tuesday, accusing him of raping three women in New York’s Central Park. The arrest, more than 1,000 miles from the alleged crime scenes, followed a joint investigation involving New York and Miami Beach police and the US Marshals Service.

Police say DNA evidence and victims’ accounts link Rivera-Deleon to incidents in 2021, 2023 and 2026. He was working at a Burger King for less than two weeks when he was arrested, and is due to face an extradition hearing before being returned to New York. The NYPD reported that rape in New York rose 3.7 per cent in 2026, despite declines in some other major crimes.