Police are asking for help identifying a transit rider wanted in connection with a forcible-touching incident on a Bx5 bus in the Bronx. The attack, police say, happened on Monday, June 15 at approximately 8:10 a.m. near Story Avenue and Metcalf Avenue and involved a 15-year-old girl who reported the suspect pressed his body against her buttocks and thigh before fleeing on foot.
🚨WANTED FOR FORCIBLE TOUCHING: On Monday, June 15, 2026, at approximately 8:10 A.m., while onboard a BX5 MTA bus in the vicinity of Story Avenue and Metcalf Avenue, in the confines of the 43 Precinct in the Bronx, a 15-year-old female victim was approached by an unidentified… pic.twitter.com/Yv3SMGFPtX
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) July 1, 2026
Police Release Wanted Alert
The NYPD Crime Stoppers unit published a “WANTED FOR FORCIBLE TOUCHING” notice on July 1 that included surveillance stills and a brief account of the encounter, naming the route as the Bx5 and the incident as occurring within the 43rd Precinct. The post also notes a reward of up to $3,500 for tips that lead to an arrest and indictment, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers.
How To Submit Tips
Anyone who recognizes the person in the released images or who captured video of the June 15 ride is asked to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or the Spanish line at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or to submit an anonymous tip through the Crime Stoppers website. Information and anonymous submission options are detailed on the program's pages, including the Crime Stoppers portal and the NYPD Crime Stoppers page.
Part Of A String Of Transit Alerts
The wanted notice is the latest in a series of Crime Stoppers bulletins this spring following reported gropings and forcible-touching incidents on trains and buses across the city. Local coverage has documented multiple recent transit-area alerts and the NYPD's use of surveillance stills and cellphone video to generate tips.
Legal Note
Under New York Penal Law §130.52, “forcible touching” covers intentionally touching another person's sexual or intimate parts for purposes of sexual gratification or to degrade them; the offense is generally prosecuted as a class A misdemeanor. The statute and court guidance outline the legal standard applied to complaints that occur while a person is a passenger on public transit; see the statute text at NYSenate.gov for details.
Detectives in the 43rd Precinct are asking anyone who was on the Bx5 at the time and has phone video or other information to hold onto it and contact Crime Stoppers. Tips may be eligible for the reward noted in the alert, and investigators say leads can be submitted anonymously through the channels in the original post. According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, tips that lead to an arrest and indictment could qualify for up to $3,500.
