The Bobster
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Wine-soaked NY passenger sexually assaulted pregnant train conductor, suit says
A pregnant LIRR conductor was sexually assaulted by a crazed, wine-soaked passenger while she tried to collect his fare, according to court filings.
nypost.com
Wine-soaked NY passenger sexually assaulted pregnant train conductor, suit says
By
Jacob Geanous
July 8, 2023 10:25am
Updated
The first passenger ever banned by the LIRR earned his notorious status by sexually assaulting a pregnant conductor in a bizarre, wine-soaked incident, newly filed court papers show.
The 26-year-old conductor, whose name is being withheld by The Post, was working on a westbound train Aug. 20, when she saw Michael Harewood board at the Deer Park Station with a bottle of red wine in hand, she said in a Manhattan Supreme Court filing.
All hell apparently broke loose when the conductor tried to collect Harewood’s fare.
Harewood, 48, declared he needed to “cool off” and began pouring the wine all over himself, according to a MTA incident report included in the filings.
He then allegedly groped the conductor while asking if she had a boyfriend, according to the report.
Next, Harewood screamed at a mother and daughter on the train that “they were racist for not wishing him a happy birthday” before exiting at the Bethpage station.
He was arrested Sept. 9 for forcible touching, court records show.
In November, Harewood took a plea deal in the case that included a two-year ban from the LIRR — the first such ban in the railroad’s history.
The ban was made possible by a state law passed in 2020 that allowed judges to ban people from public transportation if convicted of crimes against transit workers or sex offenses in transit.
Harewood is banned from the LIRR until late 2024, but the conductor says she’s been unable to return to work since the birth of her child.
She’s struggled with PTSD and anxiety in the wake of the attack and claims the MTA has failed to respond to her requests for a “no-contact” position, such as a job in a train yard.
Harewood is the first passenger ever banned by the LIRR.Google MapsThe conductor’s attorney plans to sue the MTA for lost wages and said in the court papers she wants a judge to give her more time to file her case.
The MTA should do more to safeguard transit workers, said the conductor’s attorney, Philip Dinhofer.
“They’re not doing anything to protect these train crews,” Dinhofer told The Post. “I’m not aware of any single measure to enhance the security of the train crew on the train.
The MTA declined to comment on the case.