Parkgoers along a normally tranquil part of Riverside Park along the Hudson River are being warned to stay alert after two brutal attacks there last week.
On Thursday night, a homeless man was sitting on a bench when a group of four men beat him up and threw him over a railing near Riverside Drive and West 73rd Street, police said.
A short time later, a group of four suspects moved in on a college student, putting a bag over his head and roughing him up before stealing his money and computer and running away, according to police.
It's not clear if the same group of men was involved in both attacks, but both assaults were fast and brutal, with no warning, officials said.
A woman walking her dog in the park Monday said she's noticed changes there over the last year.
"There are more people around here who look like they are going through hard times," said the woman, who only gave her first name, Sara.
Unlike Central Park, Riverside Park doesn't have its own police precinct, though there were some park patrols out on Monday night.
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Don Black of the Upper West Side said the park usually feels safe, but the robberies make him worried.
"Gotta keep alert," he said.
