UPPER EAST SIDE — A groping victim asked police officers "You saw that?" after they watched a man corner and grind against her on a downtown 6 train Tuesday, police said.
The 30-year-old woman was walking onto the train 86th Street and Lexington Avenue at 1 p.m. when William Faulkner, 53, quickly followed her, NYPD officials said.
Once on the train, Faulkner cornered the woman and started rubbing his pelvis against her, police said.
Officer Miguel Brand, who followed Faulkner onto the train, and Lieutenant Angela Morris started moving toward the suspect, police said.
The woman managed to duck under Faulkner's arm and moved to another part of the train once it reached the 68th Street station, police said.
The officers, "while keeping an eye on the suspect," identified themselves to the victim who asked them, "You saw that?" according to police.
It wasn't clear why the officers didn't intervene until the woman managed to escape. NYPD officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The officers arrested Faulkner as the train reached the 59th Street station, police said.
Faulkner, who lives in the Schwartz Men's Shelter on Randall's Island, was charged with persistent sexual abuse, police said.
He had not been arraigned as of Wednesday morning.
He's been arrested three times before, most recently for sexual abuse in 2012, an NYPD spokesman said.
