Hostilities abounded on a Utah commuter train Tuesday evening when a Utah Transit Authority employee allegedly confronted several female passengers for sharing the restroom, called them “porn stars,” and asked if they were “putting [tampons] into each other,” reports say.
Outrage erupted on a Utah Frontrunner train Tuesday night when a @RideUTA employee confronted a group of women who had shared an on-board restroom, asking if they were “putting [tampons] into each other,” a video showshttps://t.co/XfjSEi7qz3
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 18, 2018
The employee has since been placed on paid leave, pending a review of the matter, a transit agency spokesman told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Two women from a group of five friends had gone to a restroom together aboard the FrontRunner train because one needed assistance, the newspaper reported.
According to the women, the UTA employee “tried forcing the bathroom door open,” Salt Lake City’s KTVX-TV reported.
“Only one at a time!” he reportedly yelled while they were inside.
The two returned to their group before one of them returned to the restroom with two other friends.
“We’ve had weird situations happen before, with people making inappropriate comments,” one of the women told the Tribune. “People making fun of girls for going to the bathroom together, but sometimes it’s scary, and I feel like they proved our point.”
A few minutes after the women returned to their seats, the UTA worker approached them and allegedly said, “This is public transit, this isn’t Pornhub,” according to one woman’s account.
The worker eventually left the group and was approached by an older woman who said she overhead the exchange and threatened to make a formal complaint to the UTA, the Tribune reported.
At that point, the worker returned to the five friends and another altercation ensued. Video footage shows the women berating the worker for allegedly shaking the bathroom door and calling them “porn stars” – allegations he appeared to shrug off.
“I don’t care,” he said, before asking “Why does it take all three of them 10 minutes? Were you putting them in each other?”
At that point other passengers piped in, as the young women shouted down the worker.
“What the f—!” one woman can be heard shouting.
“Did you really just say that? Disgusting!” shouted another.
The worker eventually told the group to “Get off at the next stop.”
The employee, who was identified only as “Jeremy,” has been placed on paid leave while the department conducts an internal investigation, a UTA spokesman told the Tribune.
“We take it very, very, very seriously. I can’t stress that enough,” the spokesman said.
