Five men were wrongly convicted in the horrific attack on a jogger in Manhattan . They served time in prison before being exonerated . The sensational case polarized New York City along racial lines . That same night , a group of black and Latino boys had been in the park , throwing rocks at cars and assaulting people in a practice the media and law enforcement at the time called `` wilding . '' In 2002 , a serial rapist and murderer confessed to the crime and said he had acted alone .
Five men were wrongly convicted in the horrific attack on a jogger in Manhattan . They served time in prison before being exonerated . The sensational case polarized New York City along racial lines . In 2002 , a serial rapist and murderer confessed to the crime and said he had acted alone .