Police are searching for a man they say groped a 34-year-old woman on a southbound 2 train during the Thursday morning commute, not exactly the kind of contact anyone expects on the way to work. The incident unfolded as the train approached the West 14 Street / 7th Avenue station, according to investigators. The woman stepped off the train while the suspect stayed on board, and detectives have since circulated a wanted alert, urging riders who may have witnessed the encounter to come forward.
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers on Facebook, the wanted man is accused of placing his right hand on the victim’s buttocks at approximately 8:09 a.m. Thursday as the southbound 2 train neared West 14 Street and 7th Avenue. The woman got off the train at the station while the suspect remained on board, and as of now, police say no arrest has been made.
How to help investigators
Anyone with information is asked to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS, or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA. You can also submit an anonymous report through the department’s online tip portal, the NYPD Crime Stoppers page states. Tips are also accepted through the Crime Stoppers mobile app or by sending a message to @NYPDTips on social media.
What the charge means
Under New York Penal Law section 130.52, forcible touching is defined as the intentional, nonconsensual touching of another person’s sexual or intimate parts for the purpose of degrading the victim or for the actor’s sexual gratification, according to the New York State Senate. It is prosecuted as a class A misdemeanor. The statute specifically covers incidents that happen while a person is riding a bus or train.
A string of transit alerts
This latest wanted poster is part of a steady stream of public appeals about groping and lewd behavior in the city’s transit system, a trend that police and local reporters have been tracking. One recent case involved a Grand Central groping publicized in March. Investigators say surveillance images, cellphone recordings and quick tips have often helped them put names to faces in these cases.
Detectives are again asking riders who may have captured video of this train car or the man involved to save that footage and share it with investigators, per the Crime Stoppers notice. If you are in immediate danger, police say to call 911; otherwise, pass along any information through the Crime Stoppers channels listed above.
