A woman was raped by a homeless man while on a commuter train in suburban Philadelphia in full view of other passengers. The Urban Darby Police Department said the incident took place around 10 am on Wednesday and that none of the riders offered help or even called 911.
According to Fox News, police officers responded to the 69th Street terminal around 10 pm. An employee of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transport Authority (SEPTA) who was within the vicinity of the train noticed the attack taking place. The employee called the cops to report that “something wasn’t right” with a woman that was aboard the westbound train on the Market-Ford Line which runs between Upper Darby and Frankford in Lower Northeast Philadelphia.
Investigators who reviewed the surveillance video said the suspect sat next to the victim and attempted to touch her as she kept trying to push him away several times. The suspect then pushed her down, ripped off her clothes and began to sexually assault her. Video time stamps showed the assault went on for eight minutes.
SEPTA police proceeded to the next stop where they waited for the train and apprehended the suspect. The victim reportedly went into shock and became unconscious at some point during the assault. She was taken to an area hospital where she was treated for her injuries.
Fiston Ngoy, 35, was arrested and charged with rape and aggravated indecent assault and is being held in lieu of 10% of a $180,000 bail. Upper Darby Police and SEPTA are said to be familiar with Ngoy and said they have known him to be homeless.
Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt said the attack was captured on surveillance video in its entirety and expressed his disbelief after watching the footage, which showed how other riders on the train could have called and alerted 911, but did nothing. "It's disturbing that there were definitely people on the El and no one did anything to intervene or help this woman," he added.
In a statement issued by SEPTA, they urged all riders who witness such attacks being committed not to hesitate in lodging calls with authorities to report these crimes. SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said in the statement, "There were other people on the train who witnessed this horrific act, and it may have been stopped sooner if a rider called 911.”
“Anyone witnessing an emergency should immediately call 911.”
