Yale student accused of randomly groping mom traveling with four kids on subway

Published: 01:19, 12 July 2026 | Updated: 01:22, 12 July 2026 A Yale student who previously branded sexual harassment training 'pointless' has been charged for allegedly groping a mother in front of her kids on the subway. Michigan native Ari Shtein has pleaded not guilty after prosecutors accused him of sexually assaulting a 30-year-old woman aboard an uptown R train in Manhattan. The mother was travelling with her four children between the ages of four and seven when the alleged incident took place at 3pm on June 28. Investigators said the alleged victim was standing on the crowded train as it approached the 28th street station in Chelsea when Shtein, 18, allegedly ambushed and assaulted her from behind whilst the kids looked on. Police said the woman immediately recoiled, at which point Shtein allegedly responded: 'My bad, didn't know you were gonna react that way.' The woman left the train and immediately sought help before being taken to hospital by emergency responders, whilst Shtein fled the scene before surrendering himself to the police days later, investigators said. Shtein was arraigned in Manhattan criminal court on July 8 where he was charged with multiple offences including sexual assault, aggravated sexual abuse, forcible touching and child endangerment. He was released without bail the same day and has denied all allegations. Ari Shtein, 18, has been charged for allegedly groping a mother in front of her kids on the subway. He denies the allegations The alleged incident took place on the uptown R train in Manhattan on June 28 The case took an unexpected turn after internet users unearthed published opinion articles the student had authored during his first year at university, questioning mandatory campus misconduct awareness programs. In one article published last October in Yale's conservative student newspaper The Buckley Beacon Shtein questioned the value of compulsory sexual harassment training for incoming students. 'Sometime during our first couple weeks on campus, all freshmen were made to spend an hour and a half in a sex harassment training,' he wrote. 'What exactly was the point of participation in this program? Was there anyone in that room who planned to go around harassing and assaulting their classmates without the understanding that it would be wrong to do so?' he wrote in the article, titled Cut the Fat. 'Mandatory sexual misconduct trainings …[are] pretty good at convincing people that comments like "you look good in your jeans" are always inappropriate harassment.' Following news of his arrest, Shtein's biography was yanked from the newspaper's masthead, with the publication confirming he would no longer be serving the volunteer role as opinion editor. Shtein is spending his summer working at the Washington DC-based libertarian think tank, Reason. Shtein's high-profile attorney, Priya Chaudhry has forcefully denied all allegations calling the complainant 'unhinged' and claiming that the alleged assault wouldn't have been physically possible under the conditions described Shtein is a student at Yale and has written for its student newspaper the Buckley Beacon, including an article where he questioned the need for sexual harassment training The student has retained high-profile attorney, Priya Chaudhry, whose past star studded clients include 'Creed III' actor Jonathan Majors and Real Housewife Jen Shah.  'Every strap-hanger has encountered unhinged people on the subway. Unfortunately, when Ari visited our city, it was his turn. 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,' Chaudhry told The Post Thursday. She argued that the allegations were 'nonsense' and claimed the alleged assault would not have been physically possible under the circumstances described.  The attorney has also called for surveillance footage from inside the subway carriage to be released, saying it would quickly establish her client’s innocence. 'His reputation has been destroyed before a single piece of evidence has been made public,' Chaudhry said, adding that he had effectively been convicted 'in the court of public opinion.' Prosecutors, however, allege the incident unfolded in front of four children accompanying the complainant, a factor reflected in the child endangerment charges.  Shtein’s next scheduled court appearance is expected later this summer in August, when the criminal proceedings will continue. The charges against him remain allegations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The Daily Mail has reached out to the NYPD, Yale University, Chaudhry and Shtein for comment.