Person of interest in broad-daylight attempted rape of Central Park sunbather in custody for alleged groping on subway platform

A person of interest eyed in the broad-daylight attempted rape of a Central Park sunbather is already in custody for allegedly groping a woman on an Upper West Side subway platform, law enforcement sources said Tuesday.

The 43-year-old man — nabbed on Thursday in connection to the June 15 groping of a woman inside the West 103 Street and Central Park West subway station — may also be tied to the heinous June 24 attack on a 21-year-old woman at West 104th Street and the West Drive, the sources said.

By Tuesday afternoon, he had not been charged in the park attack and the Manhattan DA’s Office was looking to convene a grand jury, according to the sources.

“She is sunbathing on a nice day in Central Park,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told reporters last week of the attack at the iconic greenspace. “She sees a male coming towards her exposing himself. She gets up, screams and [starts] to run.”

“He tackled her from behind, trying to get on top of her,” Chell added. “And she valiantly fought him off a second time.”

An eerie sketch released by the NYPD shows the pervert with a dark-colored beard cut close to his jawline, a mustache and curly hair.

The sicko — who cops said is in his 30s — has visible bags under his eyes.

He was ordered held on $7,500 cash bail, $10,000 insurance company bond or $15,000 partially secured surety bond in the subway groping.

In that case, he allegedly came up behind a woman and grabbed her buttocks under her dress, according to a criminal complaint.