An 18-year-old woman’s Saturday evening ride on the B41 turned into a police case after a man allegedly groped her near Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard, authorities say. The incident happened at roughly 7 p.m., and investigators say the suspect took off on foot, leaving the victim shaken but able to report what happened.
The NYPD’s Crime Stoppers account has circulated images of the man in a "Wanted for a forcible touching" alert on X, along with a brief description of the encounter, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers. The post notes that tips can be submitted online at Crime Stoppers or by calling 1-800-577-TIPS, with Spanish-language assistance available at 1-888-57-PISTA.
What police say
Detectives are treating the case as forcible touching, a sexual offense under New York law that covers nonconsensual contact with another person’s sexual or intimate parts. State court guidance on Penal Law §130.52 notes that forcible touching "includes squeezing, grabbing or pinching" and is typically prosecuted as a class A misdemeanor, according to state court guidance.
Where this happened
The Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard area is one of Brooklyn’s key transit corridors, and the B41 is a workhorse route for local riders. Before the pandemic, the line carried about 22,500 riders each day, and Flatbush Avenue remains a target for bus-priority and safety upgrades, underscoring how many people rely on the route for daily errands and commutes, according to Streetsblog. An assault on board in such a busy corridor lands squarely in the middle of many Brooklynites’ everyday lives.
How to help
Police are asking anyone who saw the incident or has cellphone video from that B41 trip to hold onto the footage and reach out to Crime Stoppers. Anonymous tips may be eligible for rewards of up to $3,500, according to the program’s page on the NYPD site (NYPD Crime Stoppers). The city lists 1-800-577-TIPS as the main tip line and 1-888-57-PISTA for Spanish speakers, and tips can also be submitted online.
Legal notes
So far, there have been no publicly announced arrests linked to this alert, and police have not released a suspect name, according to the Crime Stoppers posting. If charges are eventually filed, forcible touching is generally handled as a misdemeanor under state law and would move through local criminal court. Investigators say any video evidence from riders could be key to putting a name to the face in those Crime Stoppers images.
