Woman Raped on a Train While Fellow Passengers Watched
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A woman was allegedly raped on a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train Wednesday as other riders failed to intervene, police say.
Speaking on the alleged assault, SEPTA tells PEOPLE the incident was a "horrendous criminal act" and urged "anyone who observes a crime being committed or any dangerous situation occurring to report it."
The harrowing incident was captured on surveillance footage that authorities are reviewing at this time, Timothy Bernhardt, Superintendent of the Upper Darby Township Police Department told The New York Times.
According to SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch, a man, who police identified as Fiston Ngoy, allegedly sat down next to the woman on a train traveling westbound on the Market-Frankford Line and allegedly attempted to touch her, The New York Times reported
Busch said Ngoy then allegedly "proceeded to rip her clothes off," The Times reported.
Authorities also told The Times that during the alleged assault, which lasted eight minutes, no passengers tried to stop the alleged attack. It wasn't until a transportation authority employee boarded the train that the incident was reported to police, Busch told The Times.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Busch confirmed that Ngoy, 35, has been been charged with rape, indecent assault and related offenses.
The Upper Darby Township Police Department, lead agency in the criminal investigation, did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment by time of publication.
Bernhardt said there were multiple passengers aboard the train car during the alleged assault, per the Times. Although there were not "dozens of people," there were enough riders that "collectively, they could have gotten together and done something," Bernhardt said.
He added that surveillance footage from the train car indicates that passengers could have intervened to stop the assault. While the police have not confirmed reports from investigators that some bystanders recorded the attack, Bernhardt said that if passengers did record the assault, they could be criminally charged for their actions.
"I'm appalled by those who did nothing to help this woman," he said, per the Times. "Anybody that was on that train has to look in the mirror and ask why they didn't intervene or why they didn't do something."
Ngoy is being held at Delaware County Jail on a $180,000 bail, according to the Times. As of Sunday, he had not retained an attorney.
Anyone who witnessed the assault is encouraged to contact the Upper Darby Township Police.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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