NEW YORK CITY, NY – A 41-year-old NYPD sergeant reportedly found himself on the wrong side of a police sting earlier in September, with officials saying the police sergeant was caught in the midst of engaging in an indecent act while inside of a public restroom located within Penn Station.
While the legal consequences NYPD Sgt. Michael Merritt will face are unclear following a September 3rd police sting regarding a notorious subway station bathroom, sometimes the associated embarrassment for certain offenses can be worse than any period of confinement.
Officials say an operation was conducted by the Amtrak Police Department where a specific bathroom known for lewd acts to occur was the primary focus.
During the aforementioned sting, authorities say Sgt. Merritt was allegedly caught red handed while pleasuring himself among other men inside the notorious public restroom.
Shortly after Sgt. Merritt’s arrest, he was briefly placed under a modified assignment with the NYPD before being outright suspended pending both the criminal and an internal investigation.
Records reportedly show the case is being handled by the Brooklyn Criminal Court, but official charges are currently unclear.
According to New York-based attorney Eric Sanders, who specializes in cases relating to sexual harassment, the case in question did drum up local concerns due to the alleged initial handling not showcasing the best optics.
Sanders claims officials weren’t quick to charge Sgt. Merritt with “PL § 245.00 (Public Lewdness) or PL § 195.00 (Official Misconduct),” and waited three days after the incident was allegedly captured on bodycam to suspend the sergeant.
A review of the NYPD’s publicly available civilian complaint review board (CCRB) showcases zero substantiated complaints ever being filed against Sgt. Merritt relating to the execution of his duties.
However, the CCRB does clarify the open database “does not include open allegations, successfully mediated allegations or mediation attempted allegations,” thus why an active internal investigation into Sgt. Merritt’s current allegations would not appear in the results.
Amtrack Police are referring all further inquiries regarding the matter to the NYPD, with an NYPD spokesperson only going so far as to confirm, “The incident is under internal review.”
The New York Post attempted to reach Sgt. Merritt for comment, quoting the police sergeant as saying, “I’m not commenting right now. Have a good day.”
While the legal consequences NYPD Sgt. Michael Merritt will face are unclear following a September 3rd police sting regarding a notorious subway station bathroom, sometimes the associated embarrassment for certain offenses can be worse than any period of confinement.
Officials say an operation was conducted by the Amtrak Police Department where a specific bathroom known for lewd acts to occur was the primary focus.
During the aforementioned sting, authorities say Sgt. Merritt was allegedly caught red handed while pleasuring himself among other men inside the notorious public restroom.
Shortly after Sgt. Merritt’s arrest, he was briefly placed under a modified assignment with the NYPD before being outright suspended pending both the criminal and an internal investigation.
Records reportedly show the case is being handled by the Brooklyn Criminal Court, but official charges are currently unclear.
According to New York-based attorney Eric Sanders, who specializes in cases relating to sexual harassment, the case in question did drum up local concerns due to the alleged initial handling not showcasing the best optics.
Sanders claims officials weren’t quick to charge Sgt. Merritt with “PL § 245.00 (Public Lewdness) or PL § 195.00 (Official Misconduct),” and waited three days after the incident was allegedly captured on bodycam to suspend the sergeant.
A review of the NYPD’s publicly available civilian complaint review board (CCRB) showcases zero substantiated complaints ever being filed against Sgt. Merritt relating to the execution of his duties.
However, the CCRB does clarify the open database “does not include open allegations, successfully mediated allegations or mediation attempted allegations,” thus why an active internal investigation into Sgt. Merritt’s current allegations would not appear in the results.
Amtrack Police are referring all further inquiries regarding the matter to the NYPD, with an NYPD spokesperson only going so far as to confirm, “The incident is under internal review.”
The New York Post attempted to reach Sgt. Merritt for comment, quoting the police sergeant as saying, “I’m not commenting right now. Have a good day.”
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Comments
2025-09-17T08:26-0400 | Comment by: Jan
I'm surprised that there are public lewdness laws in New York. I'm guessing that they will disappear when Mamdani is elected.