Authorities in New York are searching for a man who was allegedly caught rubbing his genitals on a sleeping girl while riding the subway.
The teenage passenger was asleep on board the Queens-bound 7 train, when the unidentified man was seen supposedly pressing his body up against her head and torso.
Another subway user filmed the scene, and New York Police Department (NYPD) Crime Stoppers shared the footage on social media, saying the male passenger was wanted for sexual abuse.
Watch the video here:
Authorities are offering an award of up to $2,500 for information about the man’s identity and whereabouts.
The incident occurred at 3:45PM local time on Sunday (May 26), near Junction Boulevard station in Corona, Queens. The man appeared to be in his early 20s, with black hair and measuring approximately between 5’11” and 6′.
He was filmed standing over the sleeping girl, wearing a black turtleneck, grey shorts and mostly grey sneakers with yellow, blue and white details.
The person who recorded the footage is said to have shouted at the man, telling him to stop touching the teenager. New York Daily News report, as per the Mail Online, that the man in question then ran off the train at the Junction Boulevard stop.
The witness reported the incident to the police, who are asking anyone with relevant information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). All calls to the tip line are confidential.
Authorities can also be contacted via direct message on the NYPD Crime Stoppers Twitter page.
🚨WANTED🚨for a Sexual Abuse while onboard a Queens Bound "7" train @ Junction Blvd station #Corona #Queens @NYPD108Pct on 05/26/19 @ 3:45 PM 💰Reward up to $2500👓Seen him? Know who he is?☎️Call 1-800-577-TIPS or DM us!📞Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! #YourCityYourCall @NYPDDetectives pic.twitter.com/5U4Tlr2oFi
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) May 28, 2019
According to Patch, another man was accused of rubbing his genitals on a subway passenger earlier this year.
On March 29, the unidentified man was riding the southbound G train when he allegedly pressed himself up against a 43-year-old passenger’s shoulder as the subway pulled into the Hoyt-Schemerhorn Street station.
Police described the sexual abuse suspect as standing about 5’9″ tall, approximately 180lbs (12st 8lbs) and with brown eyes and black hair.
🚨WANTED🚨for a SEX ABUSE that occurred on the southbound “G”🚂@ Hoyt St. & Schemerhorn St. #downtownbrooklyn @NYPD84Pct @NYPDTransit On 3/29/19 @ 8:29AM 💰Reward up to $2500💰👓Seen him? Know who he is?☎️Call 1-800-577-TIPS or DM us!
📞Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! #yourcityyourcall pic.twitter.com/fOKeGnTGaS— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) March 31, 2019
It is not clear whether the accused man was caught, but again police offered a reward for information about his identity.
Hopefully police intervention and public outrage will discourage abusive acts such as these moving forward. The trend is disturbing to say the least.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.