She asks:

Has anyone heard of this kind of… harassment before?
I was at the Manhattan-bound side of the 7th Avenue Q stop walking up the stairs when I feel someone grab my foot from behind. I quickly look down and see someone’s hand around my foot and bare ankle. I was wearing flip-flops and shorts, if that is relevant. I thought for a second maybe someone I know recognized me and was trying to get me to slow down. As soon as I felt this, I turned around–it was a man with a blank expression on his face. I said, “What the fuck!” pretty loudly and he just stared back. As soon as I turned around he had released his grip. I promptly ran out of there.
It was honestly really absurd. I considered maybe that he had fallen and needed to grab something in front of him, but he didn’t appear off-balance or apologize when I turned around, and he gripped my foot and entire ankle. What the fuck? I know about groping but this was very weird. Could this be a foot fetish thing?
Maybe this person is a repeat offender.

So what would you do? Have you encountered freaks like this on the subway? Comment away!

DepthsofHell is a semi-regular Bugle feature. H/T to our pals at TrainPigs for the name.