The man accused of allegedly raping a woman on a passenger train in Philadelphia is also an illegal immigrant with a criminal record.
Fiston Ngoy, arrested last week following the incident, reportedly came to the United States in 2012 on a student visa that was later terminated after he ended university studies.
Ngoy’s multiple arrests included two misdemeanor convictions, including one related to controlled substances and another regarding sexual abuse. The events led to Ngoy entering immigration detention in January 2018 but he was later released.
Ngoy was arrested following the incident that took place in front of numerous witnesses riding on the train. Reportedly, no one intervened in an attempt to stop the sexual assault. A SEPTA employee who observed the suspicious activity reported it via a 911 call.
The perpetrator claimed the acts were consensual. The woman said Ngoy ignored her pleas to stop, an account investigators confirmed using surveillance footage from the train.
Ngoy has been arrested for sexual assault and related crimes following the event. He is being held under a $180,000 bond with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 25. His last known address is listed as homeless.
“On Wednesday, October 13, 2021, a woman riding a SEPTA train from Philadelphia was sexually assaulted. Law enforcement intervened and arrested the perpetrator at a SEPTA stop located in Delaware County. As District Attorney, it is my intention to prosecute the perpetrator to the full extent of the law,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement Wednesday.
The district attorney expressed his outrage over the incident taking place among witnesses. He communicated, however, the importance of witnesses coming forward with any information that would help in the case.
“While I share the public’s outrage that such a heinous crime could occur on a public SEPTA train, I want to reiterate that Pennsylvania law does not allow for the prosecution of a passenger who may have witnessed a crime. Accordingly, any passenger who believes he or she may have observed the October 13th event on the SEPTA train should not fear prosecution,” Stollsteimer added.
