CTA Rider Sexually Abused Girl on Way to School, Police Say

Police are looking for a man who they say inappropriately grabbed a young girl this week while she was riding the Red Line to school.

They issued an alert Tuesday afternoon to those in the department's 24th, 20th, 18th, 19th and 1st districts. Together, the 19th and 20th districts cover all of Lincoln Square. Police say the sex abuse occurred around 7:15 a.m. Monday on a southbound Red Line train at Jarvis.

The victim was a 16-year-old girl who told police a black man sat next to her. When she got ready to exit the train at State and Jackson, the man reportedly grabbed her inappropriately. The notice did not specify how or where she was touched.

"The victim told the offender to stop, which alerted several passengers on the train," the report said. "The victim exited the train while the offender remained on (it)."

The girl went to school and called the police when she got there.

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Police described the suspect as a black man who is about 35 years old and stands at around 5 feet 8 inches tall. He weighs around 160 pounds and was wearing an over-sized black jacket with a hood and fake fur collar and a pair of black jeans.

Police said CTA passengers should be aware of their surroundings; ride the L in groups, when possible; remember suspects' unique physical characteristics including scars or tattoos; and never pursue a fleeing assailant.

Anyone with information about this criminal sexual abuse is asked to call the Area Central Detective Division at 312-747-8380.