An Everett man has been identified as the person who groped at least four women on Boston subway cars in the past six months, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.
HUGO HERNANDEZ (D.O.B. 3/22/87) was arraigned this morning in the Boston Municipal Court on four counts of indecent assault and battery. Assistant District Attorney Patrick Devlin recommended that he be held on $25,000 cash bail; Judge Michael Coyne, noting that Hernandez is the subject of an immigration detainer, set bail at $2,000 on each count, for a total of $8,000. Coyne further ordered Hernandez to stay away from all MBTA stations and conveyances if he posts bail and to check in weekly with the Department of Probation.
“Young or old, male or female, everyone has the right to ride the subway without being grabbed or groped,” Conley said. “If you see that behavior or if you’re subjected to it, then don’t hesitate to contact Transit Police at 617-222-1212. Time and again, victim reports have taken suspects off the streets and out of the subway.”
The charges against Hernandez arise out of an extensive, seven-month investigation by members of the MBTA Transit Police that began when two separate adult women reported that a man had groped them on an Orange Line train on April 28.
Both women were assaulted while traveling northbound on the Orange Line during the late afternoon. One of them used her cell phone camera to photograph the assailant; she later provided that photo to responding Transit Police officers.
Two other women reported similar incidents, one on the evening of Sept. 10 while traveling southbound on the Red Line and the other on the evening of Oct. 19 while traveling northbound on the Orange Line. All four provided similar descriptions of the assailant.
Based on identifications by each of the victims and other corroborating evidence developed by Transit Police, Hernandez was taken into custody late on Nov. 4 at the Sullivan Square Orange Line station.
Hernandez is represented by attorney Patrick Murphy. He will return to court on Dec. 3 for a pre-trial conference.
