Upper East Groper Grabbed: Cops Claim Victory In Catching Petite Punk

A screenshot of the suspected Upper East Side Groper entering the subway.

Has the East Side Groper groped his last buttock? Possibly. Last night police arrested 18-year-old suspect Jose Alfredo Perez Hernandez in Queens after tracking his cell phone to an apartment there. Police think the tiny young man is the same perp who has been chatting up and then groping a number of women over the past few months, mostly on the Upper East Side (though not only in that area).

Hernandez was apprehended after an Upper East Side building superintendant told a friend (a cop assigned to the Transit Bureau) that he recognized the widely distributed surveillance photo of the Groper as a man who worked at a cafe in his building (which just happened to be near many of the reported gropes). From the restaurant, police were able to learn Hernandez's identity. Police are contacting victims for lineups before charging him.

Meanwhile, the news is going to be a real disappointment to WPIX, which yesterday went around trying to do some detective work for the NYPD. And amidst passing out flyers around the Upper East Side the channel's reporter found one woman (who wouldn't give her name) who swore she saw the groper on a regular basis. "He's here all the time!" She told them. Better late than never, right?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in News on August 9, 2011 9:10 AM

Comments [rss]

cheese101

Butt fondle boy will have fun when locked up.

Inkognita

"Cops claim victory." Really. How so? Jose Hernandez' arrest appears to have had less to do with good detective work and more to do with the NYPD waiting for the tip to CrimeStoppers so alll they had to do was go get him. There were 12 incidents before he was finally arrested, despite the cops having recognizable photos and reliable information about his MO. It's not as if they were trying to catch a clever criminal mastermind.

I'm glad he was finally apprehended, but it was really the media and local community leaders who contributed more to the arrest by widely distributing flyers and keeping people informed.

Emmily_Litella

Are women so helpless that none of them couldnt kick this little puke in the balls?

pr3t3nd3r

There are a lot of ppl of this body build and look in NYC, if he were not caught there is the possibility of copycat or even more serious crimes ... and w/his picture circulating a victim might mistakenly finger him (no pun intended.)

fivefootmohawk

Wait... So a woman saw him "all the time" and never took a second to call crime-stoppers? I'll be the first to say it- dumb lazy bitch.

secretcognition

And this is why we shouldn't let people in from the outer boroughs.

Guest

but then who would cook your food, wash your dishes, clean your overpriced apartment, and powder your ass for you?

secretcognition

May I introduce you to Harlem?

Guest

sure, may i introduce you to gentrification?

pr3t3nd3r

ahhh...i bet lot of ppl wanted to reply "his mommy?"

jamieob256

Yes, we need to erect a border immediately.

TheRealCannibal

huhuh erect

TheOtherBob

We did! We put in a big-assed river, and then some yahoos built a damned bridge over it.

jamieob256

I knew something was going last nightwhen I was exiting the 86th Street/Lexington Avenue station and there were two police officers standing near the empty tokenbooth. Usually there is no noticeable security around at all.

JPeditor

" Usually there is no noticeable security around at all...."

When you enter and exit the train, which is what, 2 minutes / day out of every 24 hours?i.e., anecdote does not equal data.PS - another key phrase is "noticeable"...

Roger_the_Shrubber

Hey kid, wanna work for the TSA?

Peter Rosa

It will be difficult finding other people to stand in the lineup with him. If I'm not mistaken almost all of the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz are now dead.