Authorities say the alleged assault occurred aboard a northbound R train in Manhattan
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NEED TO KNOW
- A Yale University student has been charged after prosecutors say a woman was sexually assaulted aboard a New York City subway train
- Ari Shtein pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree sexual abuse, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE
- Shtein’s attorney denied the allegations in a statement to PEOPLE, calling them false
A Yale University student has been arrested and charged after authorities say a woman was sexually assaulted aboard a New York City subway train while traveling with four children, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE.
The case against Ari Shtein stems from an alleged incident on June 28, when a 30-year-old woman was riding a northbound R train approaching the West 28th Street and Broadway subway station in Manhattan at approximately 3 p.m., according to an NYPD Crime Stoppers social media post issued the following day.
Local news outlet PIX11 reported that the woman was traveling with four children between the ages of 7 and 11 when the alleged assault occurred. As the train approached the station, prosecutors allege that Shtein inserted two fingers into the woman’s private area.
Authorities have not publicly identified the woman’s relationship to the children, according to the station.
After the incident, the woman exited the train and was taken by EMS to a local hospital for treatment, the NYPD said in its Crime Stoppers post.
Police publicly sought the suspect’s identity before Shtein was arrested on July 8, more than a week after the alleged assault. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department told the Yale Daily News that he was taken into custody at approximately 7:12 a.m. inside the department’s 5th Precinct in Lower Manhattan.
Court records obtained by PEOPLE show that Shtein was arraigned later that day and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Shtein is charged with one count of first-degree sexual abuse by forcible compulsion, one count of third-degree aggravated sexual abuse by compulsion, one count of forcible touching on a bus or train, four counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17 and one count of third-degree sexual abuse.
Prosecutors asked the court to set $10,000 bail, arguing that Shtein posed a flight risk because of his ties outside New York, the New York Daily News reported.
Credit: NYPD
He was ultimately released without bail following his arraignment, according to the Yale Daily News.
In a statement provided to PEOPLE, Shtein’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry, denied the allegations against her client.
“Every strap-hanger has encountered unhinged people on the subway,” Chaudhry’s statement reads. “Unfortunately, when Ari visited our City, it was his turn. Ari did not assault anyone. He was visiting bookstores with a friend when his life was turned upside down by a woman who falsely accused him of a vile crime. His reputation has been destroyed. Before a single piece of evidence has been made public, he has been labelled a creep and convicted in the court of public opinion.”
She went on to call the allegation “nonsense,” adding, “On the woman’s own version of events, she would have had to have been wearing a swimsuit for the alleged conduct to have been physically possible. The subway car was packed. If you were on that train, and witnessed this woman’s behavior, please contact my firm.”
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Shtein is a member of Yale’s Class of 2029 and previously served as a staff columnist for the student newspaper’s opinion desk, according to the Yale Daily News. Following news of his arrest, the publication announced that it had indefinitely suspended him pending the outcome of the legal process.
“We have seen the disturbing reports regarding his arrest,” editor-in-chief Asher Boiskin said in a statement published by the Yale Daily News. “We have made the decision to indefinitely suspend Mr. Shtein from the paper pending the results of the legal process.”
Court records show that Shtein’s next appearance in New York Criminal Court is scheduled for Aug. 26.
PEOPLE has reached out to the New York City Police Department for additional comment.
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