Man arrested for raping a woman on a SEPTA train while other riders failed to intervene, authorities say

(CNN) — A antheral was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a pistillate connected a SEPTA bid successful Philadelphia past week, adjacent arsenic a fig of witnesses failed to halt the incidental oregon telephone police, authorities said.

The alleged rape occurred connected SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line past Wednesday nighttime and was a “horrendous transgression act,” SEPTA said successful a statement. The nationalist transit authorization said different radical connected the bid saw the incidental and did not alert authorities.

“There were different radical connected the bid who witnessed this horrific act, and it whitethorn person been stopped sooner if a rider called 911,” SEPTA said. “SEPTA urges anyone who observes a transgression being committed oregon immoderate unsafe concern occurring to study it. Anyone witnessing an exigency should instantly telephone 911.”

SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said an worker successful the vicinity of the incidental arsenic the bid went past called constabulary to study that “something wasn’t right.”

“The SEPTA worker boarded the bid and saw the battle successful advancement and instantly called 911. That prompted an contiguous effect by SEPTA Transit Police, and an serviceman boarded the bid erstwhile it arrived astatine the 69th Street Transportation Center,” Busch said successful a statement. “The serviceman located the fishy and the victim, and took the fishy into custody.”

The Upper Darby Township Police took the pb connected the lawsuit due to the fact that they person a Special Victims Unit, helium said.

The fishy was identified arsenic Fiston M. Ngoy, 35, who had preliminary arraignment past Thursday connected charges of rape, intersexual assault, aggravated indecent battle and more, according to tribunal documents.

He is being held astatine Delaware County Prison connected 10% of $180,000 bail and has a preliminary proceeding scheduled for adjacent Monday, the documents state.

Upper Darby Police superintendent Tim Bernhardt said the fishy did not cognize the victim, whom helium praised for coming forward.

“Unbelievably beardown woman. She truly is. She came forward, she provided a batch of information. She’s connected the mend, and hopefully she volition get done this,” helium said.

The full incidental was captured connected video surveillance, and Bernhardt said investigators program to spell done the video to recognize the incident, arsenic good arsenic what different SEPTA riders were doing.

“There were a batch of people, successful my opinion, that should person intervened. Somebody should person done something,” Bernhardt said.