Police are looking for a man they say exposed himself to a 41-year-old woman inside the Shepherd Avenue subway station in East New York, then walked out before officers arrived.
According to a wanted notice from NYPD Crime Stoppers, the incident happened on Monday, Feb. 9, at about 8:52 a.m. The woman was standing by the turnstiles inside the station when the man allegedly flashed her, then left the station on foot. Investigators released images and details weeks later as they turned to the public for help identifying him.
In a post, the NYPD Crime Stoppers account outlined the encounter and urged anyone with information to call the anonymous tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The post notes that tips leading to an arrest and indictment may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,500 and directs people to the department's online portal to upload footage or information.
The notice does not include a public suspect description, and detectives are asking regulars at the station and nearby residents to check any phone or building-camera video from that morning.
Where This Happened
The incident unfolded at fare control in the Shepherd Avenue station, at Shepherd and Pitkin avenues in East New York. The Shepherd Avenue station is a local stop on the IND Fulton Street Line served by the C train. Its mezzanine and exits feed riders directly toward the turnstiles, concentrating foot traffic where the victim was standing.
That layout is one reason investigators are betting on surveillance or cellphone clips from the area to help them identify the man who left on foot after the incident.
What Investigators Want
Detectives are asking anyone who was in or near the station at about 8:52 a.m. on Feb. 9 to preserve any time-stamped cellphone or security-camera footage from that window and contact Crime Stoppers if it might show the encounter or the suspect.
The NYPD routinely leans on community video in cases like this, and local coverage has highlighted how anonymous tips and shared footage can crack otherwise stalled investigations. For recent context on how police use public tips and video, see reporting on a separate East New York case involving a wanted suspect and a station escape, Belmont Avenue gunfire.
Legal Context
Under New York law, intentionally exposing intimate parts in public can be charged as public lewdness, a Class B misdemeanor under N.Y. Penal Law § 245.00. A separate statute, “exposure of a person,” also addresses public exposure and is treated differently in state law. Penalties and how prosecutors choose charges depend on the specific facts and intent involved, as summarized by legal resources such as FindLaw.
The Crime Stoppers notice does not list an arrest or a suspect description. Anyone with information is urged to call the anonymous tip line or submit footage through the Crime Stoppers portal. Police stress that members of the public should not approach anyone they suspect. Instead, they should preserve any video and contact investigators using the numbers or the online portal provided by Crime Stoppers.
