Saving a Girl on the Subway: A Real-Life Act of Courage and Kindness

I was still working downtown at Wall Street. What this means is that I would ride the E train all the way to the last stop before transferring to the 2/3 train to get me to Wall. That’s how I found myself helping a woman on the subway.

The situation happened inside a nearly empty train; there were only three of us in there—me, a young woman, and the man in question. We were nearing the end of the line, probably around five stops before the end. I saw this man approach the woman and ask if he could talk to her. She looked uncomfortable and shook her head no. The man became more persistent, asking if he could at least have her number, maybe talk another time when they weren’t riding the train. Again, she said no. Then he started saying things like, “You don’t like me? You think you’re too good for me? Just give me your number.”

I understand we can’t really tell people not to talk to others, so I didn’t jump in immediately. However, once I saw she said no and he wasn’t respecting that answer, I decided I had to get involved. I could tell she was scared, and I wasn’t going to stand by and watch this continue. This all happened very quickly, seconds from the start to when I stepped in.

I stood up, walked over to them, and said, “Hey, I didn’t see you, we’ve been on the same train this whole time. How’s your mom doing?” The man looked at me, and I followed up with, “What’s up man, how’s it going? You guys friends?” He stared at me and said, “We’re having a conversation here, keep it moving.” I smiled and looked to the woman, “Are you having a conversation?” She said no. “Doesn’t seem like she’s interested in continuing this conversation. I suggest you take your leave.” He started grumbling under his breath and trying to find a way to save face, so I decided to give him an out by speaking as if I was in law enforcement.

“Look, young man, I’m off duty right now, and I really don’t feel like filling out a lot of paperwork. Whatever you’re thinking about doing, stop. I’m giving you a chance to walk away now with no further trouble. If you keep this up, I can’t promise you’ll be home for dinner tonight or even tomorrow.” I looked at the woman and said, “I’m sorry if that seemed scary. Please don’t tell your mother.”

At that point, the man made the smart choice. He shook his head and walked away. The woman looked up at me and thanked me. I told her not to worry about it. Then I asked if she wanted me to walk her somewhere. She said no, she would stay seated and get off at the next stop before the doors closed. I sat next to her quietly, and she got off at her stop.

And that’s the story of how I helped a woman on the subway. Would you do the same, or would you let that kind of situation continue?