Dear PoPville – Public Masturbation on the Blue/Orange Line this morning

Photo by PoPville flickr user yostinator

“Dear PoPville,

I got on at Eastern Market, a few minutes after 11 am on Monday morning, 2/3/2014, at my usual door (last door, second to last car) to expedite my travels upon my arrival at my destination. The car was relatively empty and I locked eyes with a young, attractive, well-dressed man upon getting on the train. I noted the look in his eyes. I kept to myself, playing on my phone, until looking up to see what stop we were pulling into when I noticed him stroking himself out of his pants, with his d*ck pointed at me. I didn’t say anything, but I probably physically reacted. I got up and got off the metro since we’d just pulled into Federal Center SW. I tried to snap a photo of him through the window, but he never turned around.

I reported the incident to station manager who called ahead to get the train stopped at the next station. The station manager recommended I not sit in the back of the metro, but closer to the operator in the future, which I get is good advice, but I should be able to sit wherever on the metro and not be at risk. The Station Manager did call ahead to other stations to try to apprehend the perpetrator. I also made a statement to the police. I was disappointed to learn that there are no cameras on the metro cars. I saved Metro PD’s number [202-962-2121] in my phone for the future.

He was young (maybe 25ish), black, wearing a lumberjack, ear flap-style hat and a dark grey or blue wool jacket. He never said anything to me. He never reacted to my reaction to him. He never turned around to see what I was doing after I got off the metro.”