Maria Besedin

Maria Besedin was raped in a Queens, New York subway station in 2005, just before her 22nd birthday. The rape occurred in full view of a toll booth clerk and a train conductor. Besedin later sued the two transit workers for ignoring her cries for help and failing to call 911.NY Daily News: Subway Rape Victim Comes Forward After Suit Tossed... (April 13, 2009)

In April 2009 it was reported that Queens Supreme Court Judge Kevin Kerrigan threw out the lawsuit and said the MTA transit workers were not negligent. Besedin plans to appeal the judge's decision.NY Daily News: Subway Rape Victim Comes Forward After Suit Tossed... (April 13, 2009)

On the evening of June 7, 2005, Besedin was on her way to visit her boyfriend in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. As she sat in the car of the subway train a man wearing camouflage started touching her feet. At the time, Besedin had headphones on and was writing in her journal. She moved away from him and got off at the 21st St station. The man chased her and raped her on the platform. A toll booth worker, John Koort, and a conductor, Harmodio Cruz, saw the attack and alerted a command center but did not call 911 or try to help her.NY Daily News: Subway Rape Victim Comes Forward After Suit Tossed... (April 13, 2009)

• NY Daily News: MTA agent defends token booth clerk who allegedly ignored subway... (April 4, 2009)

• New York Post: 2005 Ny Subway Rape Victim Recounts Tale After Queens Judge... (April 3, 2009)

• NY Daily News: Subway Rape Victim Comes Forward After Suit Tossed... (April 3, 2009)

• Gothamist: Subway Platform Rape Victim Speaks Out (April 3, 2009)

• Africanseer: The Maria Besedin Incident: Was this negligence? (April 6, 2009)

• RantRave.com: John Koort and Harmodio Cruz: Go to Hell (Apri 3, 2009)

• Video: NY Subway Rape Victim Speaks (Time: )