The NYPD is asking riders for help tracking down a suspected groper who allegedly assaulted a 25-year-old woman on a southbound 4 train as it approached the 59 Street–Lexington Avenue station on May 19. Police say the person remains unidentified and at large. Detectives have released surveillance stills and a wanted notice as they dig into what happened during the early morning commute.
Police release surveillance images and tips request
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the incident took place at about 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19, while the southbound 4 train was pulling toward 59 Street–Lexington Avenue. The Crime Stoppers post shares still images taken from surveillance video and urges anyone who recognizes the person or who recorded the encounter to contact investigators.
What the charge means
Under New York law, forcible touching is a crime that covers intentionally touching another person's sexual or intimate parts without consent, including actions such as squeezing, grabbing or pinching. It is classified as a class A misdemeanor. FindLaw notes that the statute explicitly applies to incidents that happen on buses, trains and subway cars, which means behavior like this on public transit is treated the same as anywhere else under the law.
Transit safety and the wider picture
City officials say overall transit crime dropped last year and that the subway system recorded its safest year outside the pandemic period since 2009. Those broader trends were highlighted in an early January briefing from the Mayor’s Office. Still, riders continue to see groping and forcible-touching alerts pop up in neighborhood coverage and police bulletins, and incidents on other lines are still being tracked, including a recent case where a subway creep hunted was accused of groping a teenager at 14th Street.
How to help investigators
Anyone with information about the 4 train incident is asked to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or the Spanish line at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or by sending an anonymous tip through the Crime Stoppers online portal or via X at @NYPDTips, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers. Detectives are also asking anyone who recorded video to save the original files and avoid editing or compressing the clips so investigators can use the highest quality footage possible.
The NYPD says the investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who can identify the person in the surveillance images is urged to come forward. If a similar incident is in progress or the suspect is still nearby, call 911 immediately.
