Man Accused Of Groping 13-Year-Girl Twice On Two Subway Lines
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A man accused of groping a 13-year-old girl on the subway not once, but twice on two different trains turned himself in to police late Thursday, sources tell CBS2.
The first incident happened on Feb. 12 around 7:15 a.m. on board a northbound 7 train approaching Queensboro Plaza.
Police said 66-year-old Walter Polanco, of Queens, approached the victim and touched her inner thigh.
Two weeks later on board a northbound 5 train approaching the 86th Street station, Polanco allegedly did the same thing.
The victim's father was escorting her on a third occasion when they ran into Polanco again. The dad snapped a picture of him and handed it over to police.
Sources say a man recognized Polanco on television and convinced the him to surrender to police.
Commuter Eryka Ubertini told CBS2 she was appalled but not surprised by what happened.
"I'm always on alert and that's sad that you have to be on alert at 8 in the morning, before your morning coffee, that you're still worried about things like this," she said. "People should help people out. If you see it, really say something and really do your part in protecting the girls here, especially the little ones who can't protect themselves."
Polanco was charged with second degree stalking and forcible touching.
Anyone with information is asked to call NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by Tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
