Yale student charged after alleged sex assault on packed Manhattan subway train, attorney pushes back
Ari Shtein, 18, faces sexual abuse and forcible touching charges after an alleged assault on a Manhattan subway train, but his attorney calls it false.
An 18-year-old Yale student has been charged in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a woman aboard a Manhattan subway train last month, though his attorney says the accusation is false.
The New York City Police Department told Fox News Digital that Ari Shtein, of Washington, D.C., was arrested July 8.
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.
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The charges stem from an incident reported June 28 at about 3 p.m. aboard a northbound R train approaching the West 28th Street and Broadway subway station in Manhattan, NYPD said.
Police said a 30-year-old woman reported she was sexually abused while riding the train. She exited at the station and was transported by EMS to a local hospital for treatment, while the suspect remained aboard the train.
Court records show 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 Aug. 26.
Shtein's attorney, Priya Chaudhry, denied the allegations in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"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," the statement continued. "His reputation has been destroyed. Before a single piece of evidence has been made public, he has been labelled a creep and convicted in the court of public opinion."
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Chaudhry also challenged the allegations on factual grounds.
"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 Shtein's arrest on charges of sexual abuse, 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, "Mistakes Were Made," Shtein criticized mandatory campus sexual misconduct training, arguing such programs were largely ineffective and citing research he said showed they had little effect on preventing sexual violence.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Yale Daily News for comment.