Guardian Angels Tip Leads To Arrest Of Subway Groper, Police Say

CHELSEA, NY — A tip collected by an anti-crime group led to the arrest of a suspected subway groper accused of grabbing a woman's rear before flashing a thumbs up, authorities said.

Police cuffed and charged Matthew Maldonado, 33, of Inwood with forcible touching and sexual abuse for a Nov. 28 incident when he allegedly fondled a 34-year-old woman's buttock on a south-bound A train in Chelsea, police said.

Afterwards he stopped to pose for a photo with a mocking thumbs up before fleeing,

Maldonado's arrest came after the Guardian Angels’ “Perv Busters” unit handed out wanted posters with the suspect's photo. One subway rider emailed the group a tip after recognizing the man, authorities said.

This isn't Maldonado's first run in with the law. In 2013, Maldonado faced kidnapping and sexual abuses charges in Washington, D.C., ABC affiliate WJLA reported at the time.

Maldonado, who used to train at the Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts School in Camps Springs, Maryland, and a friend were accused of sexually abusing a fellow martial arts student in 2013 after they bumped into the woman at a club in the nation's capital on New Year's Eve, WJLA reported.

A jury found Maldonado not guilty of kidnapping and sexual abuse charges.

In a Facebook post, Maldonado claimed he accidentally bumped into the "delusional" woman.

Photo courtesy of the NYPD