Police have finally arrested a suspect in the Upper East Side groping case in New York City.
He stopped showing up for work about 10 days ago, near when the time police released an image of his face captured on surveillance video. Police believe the groper is responsible for as many as a dozen groping incidents...
He would come up behind women and grab them in the groin, breasts or rear end. He often reached up their skirts.
In recent days, the suspect has moved away from buildings, striking on a No. 6 train at 68th Street and Lexington Avenue last week, and inside Central Park on Friday.
The police tip came from a man who works in the Upper East Side building that houses the restaurant where Hernandez was employed.”
Hopefully they’ve caught the right man and his groping days will end. Because the commonality for all of his targets was their sex, it wasn’t just the 12 targets who’ve been impacted by this. A woman-hating crime spree like this can make all women living in the area wary and on edge.
Though for too many women in New York City who face daily harassment, knowing a groper was out there probably wasn’t any different from their regular life. They’re always wary. In my research, I found that more than 50 percent of women have been groped by men in public places and a lot of my respondents came from New York City. Men who aren’t labeled “groper” like this suspect are still out there freely groping…
One thing about this story that stood out to me is the importance of reporting our harassers, especially if they touch us. Most women don’t report their gropers (I didn’t when a man groped me near my college campus when I was 18). They may be too stunned, second-guess themselves, blame themselves, or believe that nothing will be done by reporting it.
And you know what, those are reasonable concerns, especially the latter. Nothing may be done initially because of one report. But, what we have to consider is, if our report is the second or third one describing the same type of behavior in the same area, or if later on a second or third person reports something similar to what you said, then the police may do something.
So keep that in mind if someone ever gropes, grabs, or inappropriately rubs up against you, or if they expose themselves. Consider taking the time to report it…your report may be the key that prompts an investigation and action.
