NEW YORK, NY — A woman was sexually assaulted during the late afternoon rush inside a Midtown Manhattan subway station when a man crept up behind her and groped her before fleeing through the underground tunnels, police said.
The unsettling encounter happened around 4:56 p.m. inside the 51 Street station. The suspect reportedly ran off on foot to an unknown location. No injuries were reported following the incident.
According to investigators, the man approached the woman from behind and grabbed her buttocks without warning before bolting from the scene. He remains at large as of Friday.
The suspect is described as having a dark complexion and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, a pink hat, and white sneakers. Police are reviewing surveillance footage from the station and nearby areas in hopes of identifying the man involved.
The incident adds to a series of recent reports involving unwanted contact in the transit system, drawing renewed scrutiny over subway safety during peak commuter hours.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline.