A New Jersey man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attacking a woman who was on her way home from work on a Brooklyn-bound R train after she woke to find him masturbating and exposing himself across from where she was seated.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s deviant and violent behavior endangers all New Yorkers, especially those who depend on the subway. The fact that the defendant has 20 prior convictions related to public lewdness is ample evidence that he is willing to disregard the law, the risk of incarceration and the harm to society.”
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez identified the defendant as Reggie Frank, 48, of Newark, New Jersey. The defendant, who is a predicate felon, was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Evelyn LaPorte to 10 years in prison and 10 years’ post-release supervision. The defendant was convicted of second-degree assault, two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree public lewdness on September 25, 2019, following a jury trial.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on February 23, 2018, at approximately 1:50 a.m., a 42-year-old woman who fell asleep on her way home from work on a Brooklyn-bound R train near the 36th Street/4th Avenue station in Sunset Park, woke up to find the defendant seated across from her masturbating with his genitals exposed. When the victim asked what he was doing, the defendant emptied a canister of pepper spray into her eyes.
The defendant then pulled out a folding knife and attacked the victim, holding a knife to her temple while immobilizing her head with his other hand, and cutting her hand as she fought to disarm him. The defendant also punched the victim multiple times in the face, dug his finger into her eye and bit her hand, drawing blood.
When the train arrived at the 36th St/4th Avenue station, a good Samaritan boarded the train and pulled the defendant off the victim. The train conductor radioed police who arrested the defendant at the station and recovered a knife and can of pepper spray on the subway platform.
The victim was treated at Lutheran Hospital for lacerations to her fingers, including a gash that required 15 stitches and caused permanent nerve damage. The victim also suffered a corneal erosion in her eye that continues to affect her vision.
