A 16-year-old girl was allegedly groped on the southbound 6 train platform at the 14th Street–Union Square subway station 10 days ago, and the NYPD still has not identified the person responsible. Investigators say the incident happened at about 8:15 a.m. on October 22, when an unidentified individual approached the teenager and touched her without her consent before exiting the station and fleeing in an unknown direction.
According to ShoreNewsNetwork, the suspect touched her buttocks without her consent while she stood on the platform waiting for a train. The outlet reports that the individual then exited the station and fled in an unknown direction, and that no physical injuries were reported. The NYPD is investigating the case as forcible touching, and no arrest had been announced in the information released by police, per the same report.
Police Renew Push for Tips
NYPD Crimestoppers detailed the case in a Facebook post titled “Wanted for Forcible Touching,” asking anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be called in to the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or to the Spanish-language line at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish-speaking callers. The public can also submit tips through the NYPD Crime Stoppers website or by messaging @NYPDTips on X, the same report notes.
No description of the suspect was included in the information police released, and it remains unclear whether anyone has since been identified or taken into custody. The lack of a public description makes the appeal for tips especially important, since riders who witnessed the encounter or who recognize the individual from surveillance footage may be the department's best lead.
Part of a Pattern on Manhattan Transit
This is not the first forcible-touching case reported on Manhattan transit this year. In September, the NYPD sought a suspect after a 27-year-old woman was allegedly grabbed on the buttocks and groin over her clothing while walking down a stairwell at the Fifth Avenue and 59th Street station, according to SILive.com. In that case, the individual fled the station on foot toward Central Park South, and no injuries were reported.
In June, SILive.com also reported two forcible-touching incidents on the same day involving a 45-year-old woman near 10th Avenue and West 17th Street, who was followed, scratched on the hip and allegedly touched under her skirt, and a 24-year-old woman near East 5th Street and Avenue C, who was allegedly pushed against a wall and touched over her clothing before the individual fled on foot. Police said both incidents happened on June 20 and were believed to involve the same unidentified individual.
Union Square itself has seen a similar case before. In April 2025, a 15-year-old girl riding a northbound N train near the station was allegedly grabbed on the buttocks by an unidentified individual, according to ChelseaNewsNY. That suspect was described as a young Hispanic male with a brown complexion, wearing a red sweatshirt and a black backpack. A separate forcible-touching incident was also reported at Wall Street station.
Whether any of these earlier cases are connected to the October 22 incident at Union Square has not been established, and investigators have not indicated a link. For now, the NYPD is relying on the public to help identify the person involved in the latest case, urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers or submit a tip online or through X.
