Justice? Train Passengers Who Only Watched and Held Up Phones Toward Horrific Attack Learn Their Fate
A group of passengers stood by and watched while a man allegedly raped a helpless woman on a Philadelphia train, with some even holding up their phones toward the apparent assault.
Not a single person intervened.
Now, the passengers who stood gawking during the alleged attack have learned their probable fate.
“It’s still an open investigation, but there is no expectation at this time that we will charge passengers,” Delaware County District Attorney’s office spokeswoman Margie McAboy said, according to The Associated Press.
As a half-hearted explanation for this statement, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said prosecutors want witnesses to step forward themselves, rather than fearing charges against them. “Pennsylvania law does not allow for the prosecution of a passenger who may have witnessed a crime,” Stollsteimer added.
Police reports from the initial attack paint a gruesome picture.
The alleged assault happened in October of last year. Investigators say security cameras caught part of the encounter, and that the suspect ripped off the victim’s pants before raping her for six to eight minutes.
Surveillance video also shows bystanders seemingly doing nothing during the incident.
Philadelphia 911 never received a call about the attack.
Despite taking place on a train with passengers aboard, it took an observant Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority employee to finally alert police to something amiss.
Upper Darby police jumped in immediately and arrested 35-year-old Fiston Ngoy.
Ngoy, reportedly an illegal immigrant from the Congo, has been charged with rape, aggravated indecent assault and other counts.
Fiston Ngoy, 35, has been charged with subjecting a woman to a 9 minute rape on a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train.
Not one person came to her aid but got out their smartphones to film it. https://t.co/Sn6lxaKb6O pic.twitter.com/4chyDfBv3p
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) October 24, 2021
The severity of the crimes and the fact that a transportation worker instantly knew something was wrong when he saw the situation hints that passengers should have known they needed to act.
Instead, it seems an infectious bout of apathy swept the crowd.
Requests for the footage to be released have been denied, with authorities citing the ongoing investigation.
With officials remaining tight-lipped on how much these passengers saw and knew, it’s unlikely that we will get a clear answer on the district attorney’s decision anytime soon.
Is this justice? If anything, it seems this decision will only encourage the inaction of people towards heinous crime happening in their own communities.
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