During what seemed like a normal ride on the subway from Queens to Manhattan, a 33-year-old female passenger noticed a man staring at her while touching himself.

While aboard a Manhattan-bound R train, the woman noticed the man put his hands down his pants and then started to masturbate. Although the woman was no doubt disgusted by the man’s actions, she made sure to snap a few photos of him before exiting at the 59th Street Station.

This incident is just another in a long list of sexual assault crimes that occur daily on the New York subway. In fact, acts like this, as well as groping and public exposure, have statistically been on the rise in NYC. According to The New York Times, these acts have happened so frequently that many New Yorkers, cops and civilians alike, have stepped up efforts to combat these lewd acts. The MTA has even created a website for sexual misconduct complaints, where riders can attach a photo or make an anonymous report.

With many recent events, including the fact that there is a frontrunner presidential candidate who is a woman, the topics of sexism and gender inequality have been somewhat in the spotlight.

No one can deny that there has been serious progress done when it comes to the rights of women. However, it’s clear that the struggle to simply commute to and from work without being sexually terrorized is real. 

(Photo: New York City Police Department)