Exonerated Central Park 5 defendant Yusef Salaam wins Democrat New York City Council primary

Yusef Salaam, who was convicted of a brutal Central Park rape alongside 4 other teenagers who were all later exonerated, won the Democratic primary in Harlem for New York City Council.

Salaam, 49, brought in 50% of the votes in Tuesday's primary with 98% of ballots counted, according to the New York Post. State Assemblywoman Inez Dickens is the runner-up with 25% of the votes.

"I’m here because Harlem, you believed in me. Harlem has spoken," Salaam told a crowd after winning. 

Salaam, then 15, and four other young men became known as the Central Park Five after they were convicted in the notorious 1989 rape of a jogger in the park. The men spent between six and 13 years incarcerated, but in 2002, their convictions were tossed after Matias Reyes, a convicted murderer and rapist, confessed to the attack.

His win is a blow to Democratic Mayor Eric Adams and other politicians who had supported Dickens in the race.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.