I've been to NYC many times and Central Park was and maybe still is not a safe place. Too many nasty incidents. Here one of the more famous ones.
"At 9 p.m. on April 19, 1989, a group of an estimated 30–32 teenagers who lived in East Harlem entered Manhattan's Central Park at an entrance in Harlem, near Central Park North.[4] Some of the group committed several attacks,
assaults, and robberies against persons walking, biking, or jogging in the northernmost part of the park and near the reservoir, and victims began to report the incidents to police.[5] Within the North Woods, between 105th and 102nd streets, they were reported as
attacking several bicyclists, hurling rocks at a cab, and attacking a pedestrian, whom they robbed of his food and beer, and left"
I think the following article is much more balanced.
"The incident began as Amy Cooper was spending time in Central Park’s Ramble with her dog, alone, and seemingly minding her own business. Christian Cooper too was spending a quiet morning bird watching in the same area, alone, minding his own business. That is until he noticed Amy’s dog was off-leash and running freely nearby. The area requires dogs to be on leashes, with signs posted indicating this rule. Christian took it upon himself to enforce it."
https://thepostmillennial.com/central-park-is-a-tale-of-two-karens