New York woman gets justice two years after her sexual assault was filmed on the subway
A social media effort resulted in the capture of the man who allegedly assaulted a woman in 2012
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Elisa Lopez was asleep on the New York City subway early in the morning on 20 October, 2012 when the stranger sitting next to her began to molest her. Ms Lopez awoke during the assault, punched her attacker in the face and got off the train.
Another passenger on the train recorded the assault and posted the video on the internet, but it still took two and a half years and a social media effort before the man who allegedly assaulted Ms Lopez was caught, according to Gothamist.
New York police arrested Carlos Chuva last week and charged him with first-degree aggravated sexual abuse. Mr Chuva reportedly was shown a still photo from the video taken during the assault and told authorities that it was him in the photo.
Ms Lopez said she did not know the extent of the assault until she saw the video online. The clip shows a middle-age man in a denim jacket groping a sleeping Ms Lopez. Warning, the video below contains graphic images.
After she saw the video, Ms Lopez posted the above video and launched a Facebook effort aimed at catching the assailant, which ultimately was successful.
New York police have not said how they were able to identify Mr Chuva, who lives in the New York borough of Queens.
Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments