Yale student charged after alleged sex assault on packed Manhattan subway train, attorney pushes back

NYC subway riders that spoke with Fox News Digital said they don’t feel safe riding the subway amid a series of high-profile crimes on passenger train cars.

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.

The New York City Police Department released this image of Ari Shtein while seeking the public’s help identifying a suspect in connection with an alleged sexual assault aboard a Manhattan subway train. (NYPD)

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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.

The alleged assault happened on a New York City subway car. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Shtein’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry, denied the allegations in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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“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.”

The Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut. A Yale student charged in an alleged sexual assault aboard a New York City subway train is also listed as a staff columnist for the Yale Daily News opinion desk. (iStock)

Chaudhry also challenged the allegations on factual grounds.

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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.”

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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.

Greg Wehner is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering U.S. news and crime, with a focus on breaking developments, law enforcement, public safety and major stories shaping communities across the country.

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