Fiston Ngoy: Man calls rape on train a 'consensual' encounter, victim denies it
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: The Pennsylvania man accused of raping a woman aboard a train in Philadelphia has claimed that the woman initiated the encounter, according to a police affidavit. As we previously reported, Fiston Ngoy was arrested by police on October 13 after he was caught raping a woman in full view of other passengers. After being alerted to the incident, cops caught Ngoy at the next stop and arrested him on several charges.
As of the time of reporting, Ngoy remains in police custody, with bail set at $180,000. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 25 in Upper Darby. He has been charged with rape, aggravated indecent assault, and related counts, the police confirmed. Ngoy's incident went viral because while many others viewed the incident, almost nobody stepped forward to help the woman. In the end, an off-duty Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) employee stepped up and called 911.
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The shocking incident has now taken another dramatic twist, with Ngoy claiming he wasn't responsible for the rape. Instead, he says the woman initiated the encounter, a claim that the victim has denied. Here's everything we know about this stunning update.
'Encounter was consensual' claims Ngoy
The stunning claims were first made public by The Inquirer, which managed to view Ngoy's arrest affidavit. Reportedly, Ngoy said he recognized the woman on the train and approached her to start a conversation. He then claims she initiated the sexual encounter and didn't resist his advances. He believed the encounter was consensual, a claim the woman has firmly denied.
The woman called the claims "completely false" and insisted she had never seen Ngoy before or ever given him permission to touch her. The woman claims she had a few beers after work then got on the wrong train. She claimed not to remember anything between boarding the train and the time police pulled Ngoy off her. Given the two contrasting stories, investigators have been forced to rely on surveillance footage, which appears to back the woman's version of events.
At 9:15 pm she boarded the train at the Frankford Transportation Center. A minute later, Ngoy also boarded at the same station and sat next to her. Based on surveillance footage, investigators concluded: "the victim is obviously struggling with keeping him off of her." That is because Ngoy can be seen attempting to touch her, as she repeatedly pushed him away. At one point, Ngoy grabbed her breast, before he began to rape her. The incident only ended when officers intervened.
Other commuters present at the scene were slammed by Transit Police Chief Thomas Nestel III. At a press conference, he said, "There was a lot of people, in my opinion, that should have intervened. Somebody should have done something. It speaks to where we are in society and who would allow something like that to take place. So it’s troubling." Nonetheless, he urged the public to act in such situations, saying, "I’m here to tell you that when you see inappropriate behavior, behavior you wouldn’t want your 10-year-old to see, call 911."