An artist and former prof on the metropolis’s prestigious College of Visible Arts is stockpiling a “creepy” assortment of images of unwitting straphangers — together with scores of tank-top-wearing girls.
Brian Appel — who claims to be “College Emeritus” at SVA, which the Manhattan faculty denies — has been importing tens of 1000’s of photographs to his Fb account for greater than two years.
The trove consists of images of rail-riding {couples} kidding, pals laughing and straphangers dapperly dressed as they get to their locations.
Among the pics embody youngsters.
A slew additionally seize unsuspecting girls sporting tight and revealing garments.
“It’s very creepy! It’s very scary for ladies,” Brooklyn mother Courtney Fitzpatrick informed The Publish.
“I used to be actually mad once I noticed it,” she stated of the gathering. “Each of my daughters have been on it a 12 months aside from one another. In truth, one was his cowl picture — it was an image of my daughter when she was 16 going to play apply together with her good friend, who was 14.”
It isn’t unlawful to take photos of strangers in public areas, such because the subway, with out consent. The faces in Appel’s snaps are usually not blurred.
Fitzpatrick stated she discovered concerning the assortment earlier this week when somebody alerted a Bay Ridge Fb group that Appel took most of his photos on the R practice — and posted them on-line with location and date stamps.
Fitzpatrick stated she had a intestine feeling she would discover her two ladies, ages 25 and 18, in Appel’s photographs and spent hours scouring the gathering till she found them in separate posts from January 2026 and July 2025, respectively.
One of many daughters was photographed crying on the subway after a nasty day, whereas the opposite was clearly a minor, the mother famous.
To make issues worse, one among her ladies had already skilled a stalker, and Fitzpatrick feared that the image may reignite the very actual concern for her daughter’s security.
“I used to be actually mad once I noticed her,” Fitzpatrick, 51, stated of the picture.
“Having her image up there with the practice she’s on, and the time, that’s actually what I’m involved about. Some weirdo simply digging round there and perhaps following her. That might occur to any of these ladies on there.”
Fitzpatrick requested Appel to take away the image, noting he responded kindly and took it down. However he continued snapping and posting photos of different straphangers the very subsequent day.
The Brooklyn mother, who scoured the tens of 1000’s of images in her hunt for her daughters, seen throughout her effort that Appel shared many crude images of girls.
“I noticed one woman in a low-cut white costume in three totally different photos,” she stated. “He appears to be taking photos making an attempt to make them look unhealthy or one thing. I can’t clarify it.”
Appel’s discreet picture-snapping has been occurring since at the very least 2024 however noticeably elevated in latest months to as much as a dozen photos per day — catching the eye of straphangers who’ve since cautioned riders throughout a number of social-media platforms.
Many seen that Appel recognized himself as a “College Emeritus on the College of Visible Artwork in Manhattan” and seized the chance to channel their anger on the school and demand they fireplace the educator.
Appel ended his 15-year employment at SVA in August 2025 and by no means held emeritus standing, the varsity stated.
“Brian Appel is not employed by SVA and doesn’t maintain emeritus school standing,” a rep for SVA informed The Publish.
The artist didn’t reply to quite a few Publish requests for remark however has responded to supporters.
“Every one among my images is actually 2 photos,” Appel wrote below a July 7 picture of a younger girl listening to music on the subway.
“The first is the best way they’re posted as half physique pictures the place you get details about their garments and equipment which can date the photographs sooner or later and what you found is that if you zoom in on the face you get an intimate look into what’s occurring of their head.”
