It’s just another day on the rails in New York City.
An Upper East Side subway rider was photographed wearing a leather strap and chain “cage’’ that was barely covering his genitals — and was visible to other shocked transit customers — but cops said there is nothing they can do about it.
“I’m totally beside myself,” a woman told The Post after trying to file a police report about the sight, which occurred earlier this month on an Upper East Side Q train.
“Somehow, this is permissible.’’
Police sources said that while the man’s attire may be provocative, it did not constitute exposing himself.
Public lewdness requires some intentional action that shows the clear effort to reveal oneself — such as lifting a shirt or opening a coat — and that was not proven in this case, they said.
The situation is more akin to a woman wearing a skirt who may have unintentionally revealed too much and failed to meet a criminal standard, sources said.
The NYPD told The Post in a statement Tuesday, “Police found during their investigation that the subject did not expose himself, did not inappropriately touch himself and did not reference anyone in the subway car.
“The NYPD strongly encourages any victims of indecent exposure to make a report.”
The offended woman, who asked not to be identified, said she was told by an officer over the phone that “the small leather [and] chain straps on the penis constitute coverage sufficient to make it not eligible for the penal code.’’
The woman said she snapped a picture of the man and posted it on a local Facebook group, where other women soon came forward saying they shared a similar misfortune of seeing the man in the same icky situation.
-Additional reporting by Amanda Woods
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