Police had surrounded the coyote earlier in the day in the southeast corner of the park, which is bordered by the Upper East Side luxury homes of New York's rich and famous.
But the animal managed to escape the dragnet by jumping into a lake and running north.
It was finally cornered near a road that traverses the middle of the park.
No move had been made to evacuate the area, as the coyote was not considered a danger to people.
"Coyotes, by nature, typically avoid human contact," said park official Warner Johnston. Pet owners, however, had been warned to keep their dogs on a leash.
Officials first heard of the coyote's presence after public sightings of a "wolf-like animal" on Tuesday afternoon.
It was the second time in seven years that a coyote has made its way into Central Park. Another coyote captured in April 1999 now resides in Flushing Zoo in Queens.
Johnston said it was not immediately clear how the normally people-shy animal ended up in the middle of one of the world's most densely populated cities.
But he offered an educated guess that it had wandered down from Westchester County, north of the city, via the Bronx.
Name: Coyote (
Canis latrans)
Primary Classification: Canidae (Dogs and Relatives)
Location: Central America to Alaska
Habitat: Open areas in forests or at forest edges
Diet: Small mammals, birds, snakes, carrion, fruits and vegetables
Size: Averages 3.3 to 4.6 ft in length and 33 to 44 lbs in weight.
Description: Grayish-brown to yellowish-gray coat; pale underneath; pointed, erect ears; long, slender muzzle; drooping, bottle-shaped tail with black tip
Cool Facts: This intelligent canid has amazing problem-solving abilities when hunting prey; for instance, it will ambush a ground squirrel by waiting at one of the burrow's exits as a badger digs its way in at the entrance.
Conservation Status: Common
