A man riding an electric motorcycle allegedly slapped two women on the buttocks within minutes of each other along Atlantic Avenue in East New York earlier this month, approaching each victim from behind before speeding off. The first attack happened around 4:15 p.m. last Thursday in front of 2645 Atlantic Avenue, where a 41-year-old woman was walking when the rider came up behind her. A short time later and about a block away, in front of 2581 Atlantic Avenue, a 27-year-old woman was slapped the same way by a rider on the same type of vehicle.
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the suspect fled to parts unknown after both incidents, and no arrest has been made. The two attacks, which occurred on August 6, took place within the 2500 and 2600 blocks of Atlantic Avenue during the late afternoon, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers, underscoring how tightly clustered the pattern was in both time and geography. The stretch is a busy commercial corridor: the first location sits at the United States Postal Service's East New York Station, according to Wikipedia, while the second address houses community health and supportive service facilities, including the Institute for Community Living and a Community Healthcare Network clinic, per New York State records.
🚨WANTED FOR A FORCIBLE TOUCHING PATTERN:
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) August 16, 2026
Incident 1:
On Thursday, August 6, 2026, at approximately 4:15 P.M., a 41-year-old female victim was walking in front of 2645 Atlantic Avenue when she was approached from behind by an unidentified individual on an electric motorcycle.… pic.twitter.com/M2AYg0Gext
A Recurring Tactic on Two Wheels
Both incidents fall under the jurisdiction of the NYPD's 75th Precinct, which is based at 1000 Sutter Avenue and covers East New York and Cypress Hills, according to the NYPD. Investigators have not said whether the same rider is responsible for both attacks, though the matching vehicle description and tight timing point to a single pattern.
Ride-by groping using mopeds, scooters, or motorized bikes has been a recurring investigative challenge for police across Brooklyn, with prior multi-victim patterns showing riders targeting women on foot before disappearing into traffic, per the Associated Press. The tactic makes it difficult for victims to catch a plate number or get a clear look at a suspect before he's gone.
The Legal Gray Zone Around E-Motorcycles
Under state Vehicle and Traffic Law and city Department of Transportation rules, electric motorcycles and mopeds capable of topping 25 mph are treated as limited-use motor vehicles that require DMV registration, a license plate, and a valid driver's license — a stricter standard than the one applied to slower e-bikes, according to the NYC Department of Transportation. State lawmakers have pushed further with proposed legislation known as Priscilla's Law, Senate Bill S1372, which would require DMV registration and plates for all electric bikes and scooters in the city to make riders easier to identify and track, per the New York State Senate. Whether the vehicle involved in the Atlantic Avenue attacks was registered has not been disclosed.
If caught, the suspect would face a forcible touching charge, a Class A misdemeanor under New York Penal Law that covers intentional touching of intimate parts without consent for sexual gratification or to degrade or abuse a person, carrying up to a year in jail, according to the New York State Senate. Prosecutors have up to two years from the date of the offense to file charges in such cases, per Lebedin Kofman LLP.
How to Submit a Tip
NYPD Crime Stoppers is asking anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be submitted online or through the X account @NYPDTips, by calling 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish speakers, by dialing 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The program, a public-private partnership with the New York City Police Foundation, is offering a reward of up to $3,500 for anonymous information that leads to an arrest and indictment.
It remains unclear whether surveillance cameras from the postal facility or nearby health clinics captured a clearer image of the rider or vehicle, and police have not said whether additional victims have come forward since the August 6 attacks. The East New York pattern follows a string of similar Brooklyn cases this year, including a daylight case near Brownsville and an earlier Greenpoint touching spree that also prompted a Crime Stoppers appeal.
