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The Arlington, VA resident told her story in a tearful, 3-minute-long TikTok video saying nearly 20 bystanders and police did nothing while she was threatened to be raped and harassed by a man at the Foggy Bottom station.
"Even after two phone calls with police, I don't think anyone cares," Molteni said in the video. "I don't think I'll get the help I need unless I reach out to a different audience."
Molteni was waiting at the station when a man, who appeared to be holding a bottle of alcohol, began hitting on her and shouting profanities, she recalled. Used to it, Molteni ignored the man in hopes he'd leave her alone. But that seemed to only provoke him more, she said.
"At that point I called the non-emergency line for the metro and they asked me what happened," she said. "And I told them what happened and then I had to wait another, at that point, 10 minutes for my train and the situation kept escalating."
At one point, the man threatened to rape her and told her to come sit on his lap, she said. And still, no one came to her defense, Molteni said.
"About 90% [of the people there] were men and I said, 'You all hear this, why aren't you doing anything?' These men just ganged up on me and turned it on me and told me, 'Well why don't you just go away?'
Aside from the trauma caused by the suspect, Molteni said she was extremely disappointed in law enforcement and the other commuters.
D.C. Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke apologized on Twitter for the experience Molteni had while on her route to work.
In Molteni's video, which now has over 33,000 views, she said a woman gave her a hug to let her know she was going to be okay after almost 15 minutes of the harassment.
D.C. residents were very concerned on Molteni's behalf and believe metro officials and witnesses failed her.
Molteni described the suspect as a white man, who was 6'5 and around 30 years old, clutching an alcohol bottle.
Anyone with more information about this incident should contact metro police at 202-962-2121.
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