An 18-year-old Yale University student has been charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse following an alleged assault aboard a crowded Manhattan subway train last month, though his attorney is pushing back against the accusations, calling them false and physically implausible.
Ari Shtein, of Washington, D.C., was arrested on July 8 by the New York City Police Department. Court records reviewed by Fox News Digital show he faces charges including first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree aggravated sexual abuse, forcible touching on a bus or train, third-degree sexual abuse, and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The charges stem from an incident reported on June 28 at approximately 3 p.m. aboard a northbound R train as it approached the West 28th Street and Broadway subway station in Manhattan.
According to the NYPD, a 30-year-old woman reported that she was sexually abused while riding the train. She exited at the station and was transported by emergency medical services to a local hospital for treatment. The suspect remained on the train, police said. Shtein pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before Judge Ilona B. Coleman and was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to return to New York Criminal Court on August 26.
Shtein's attorney, Priya Chaudhry, issued a statement denying the allegations. «Every strap-hanger has encountered unhinged people on the subway. Unfortunately, when Ari visited our City, it was his turn,» Chaudhry said. «Ari did not assault anyone. He was visiting bookstores with a friend when his life was turned upside down by a woman who falsely accused him of a vile crime. His reputation has been destroyed. Before a single piece of evidence has been made public, he has been labeled a creep and convicted in the court of public opinion.»
Chaudhry also challenged the factual basis of the allegations. «The allegation is nonsense. On the woman's own version of events, she would have had to have been wearing a swimsuit for the alleged conduct to have been physically possible,» she said. «The subway car was packed. If you were on that train, and witnessed this woman's behavior, please contact my firm.»
Shtein is listed as a staff columnist for the Yale Daily News opinion desk, where his most recent column was published in May. Following his arrest, the Yale Daily News announced it had indefinitely suspended him from the publication. «We have seen the disturbing reports regarding his arrest,» Yale Daily News Editor in Chief Asher Boiskin said in a statement posted on the newspaper's website. «We have made the decision to indefinitely suspend Mr. Shtein from the paper pending the results of the legal process.»
In an October 2025 post on his Substack, titled «Mistakes Were Made,» Shtein criticized mandatory campus sexual misconduct training, arguing that such programs were largely ineffective and citing research he said showed they had little effect on preventing sexual violence. The post has drawn renewed attention in light of the charges against him.
The case has sparked broader discussions about sexual assault on public transit and the treatment of accused individuals in the court of public opinion. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has not yet commented on the case. Fox News Digital has also reached out to the Yale Daily News for additional comment.
Shtein's next court appearance is scheduled for late August, where further legal proceedings are expected. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward.