Ex-prof at prestigious NYC art school takes ‘creepy’ photos of straphangers — including kids and tank-top-wearing women

Nypost · Aug 03, 2026 · 716 words · By Katherine Donlevy

Public Safety/Stalking Privacy and Consent Institutional accountability

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What to know about Public Safety/Stalking

Ex-prof at prestigious NYC art school takes ‘creepy’ photos of straphangers — including kids and tank-top-wearing women See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 6

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Ex-prof at prestigious NYC art school takes ‘creepy’ photos of straphangers — including kids and tank-top-wearing women See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google An artist and former prof at the city’s prestigious School of Visual Arts is stockpiling a “creepy” collection of photos of unwitting straphangers — including scores of tank-top-wearing women.

Common ground

Brian Appel — who claims to be “Faculty Emeritus” at SVA, which the Manhattan school denies — has been uploading tens of thousands of images to his Facebook account for more than two years.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Public Safety/Stalking story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Brian Appel — who claims to be “Faculty Emeritus” at SVA?
How does this story connect Public Safety/Stalking with Privacy and Consent over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/us-news/ex-sva-prof-takes-creepy-photos-of-nyc-str…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 80% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Brian Appel — who claims to be “Faculty Emeritus” at SVA”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results refer to Brian Appel in the context of his relationship with SVA, with one explicitly mentioning he is a 'former prof' and another discussing the school's denial of his emeritus status, implying he made such a claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The list of New School people includes notable students, alumni, faculty, administrators and trustees of the New School, a private university in New York City. In 2008, approximately 53,000 living New…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_School_people

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Following is a partial list of notable faculty (either past, present or visiting) of New York University. As of 2014, among NYU's past and present faculty, there are at least 159 Guggenheim Fellows, s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_York_University_fa…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA ( nip-SEE-ə)) is a professional school of international affairs at Carleton University that was founded in 1965. The school is based at Richc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Paterson_School_of_Inte…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Brian Appel — who claims to be “Faculty Emeritus” at SVA, which the Manhattan school denies — has been uploading tens of thousands of images to his Facebook account for more than two years.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While one web search result mentions Brian Appel is 'stockpiling' a collection of photos and references his Facebook, there is no specific corroboration from a second independent source regarding the 'tens of thousands of images' or the 'two years' timeframe.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Facebook (and parent company Meta Platforms) has been the subject of criticism and legal action since it was founded in 2004. Criticisms include the outsize influence Facebook has on the lives and hea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the 2010s, personal data belonging to millions of Facebook users was collected by British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica for political advertising without informed consent. The data was collec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook–Cambridge_Analytica_d…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “It is not illegal to take pictures of strangers in public spaces, such as the subway, without consent.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources discuss the legality and ethics of public photography; specifically, one source explicitly states 'Taking photos in public without consent = legal in USA'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — "Taking pictures of strangers without their consent is a breach of trust and can be damaging to the subject's sense of security and well-being," says photography ethics expert, Emeritus Professor Davi…
https://info.porterchester.edu/inf/the-hidden-world-of-candi…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Reply to @basicpancake Taking photos in public without consent = legal in USA #welcome2021 #WinterFashion #selfdefense #photography #safety. Discover the rules and ethics of photographing strangers in…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/foto-in-public-asking

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web search NEUTRAL — Brits heading on holidays this summer are being warned to check the rules for taking photos in public spaces as some countries have some hefty fines in place if you get it wrong.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/asia-middle-east/holiday-war…

verified

Claim 4: “Appel’s discreet picture-snapping has been going on since at least 2024”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence mentions Brian Appel's activities and his employment status, but none of the sources specifically confirm that the photography has been occurring 'since at least 2024'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Changing World Technologies (CWT), a privately held synthetic fuel company, was founded in August 1997 by Brian S. Appel, who also served as chief executive officer of CWT and its subsidiaries. Throug…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changing_World_Technologies

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of characters in the television series Criminal Minds, an American police procedural drama which premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS and concluded its original run on February 19, 2020…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Criminal_Minds_charact…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mark Stewart Appel (born July 15, 1991) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was drafted by the Houston Astros with the first overall pick of the 2013 MLB draft. He has previously p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Appel

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Appel ended his 15-year employment at SVA in August 2025 and never held emeritus status, the school said.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources report that Appel ended his 15-year employment at SVA in August 2025 and that the school denies he ever held emeritus status.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brian Alfred (born 2 December 1974, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Alfred

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable alumni and faculty of the California Institute of the Arts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_California_Institute_o…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable alumni and faculty of Parsons School of Design in New York City.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Parsons_School_of_Desi…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: ““Brian Appel is no longer employed by SVA and does not hold emeritus faculty status,” a rep for SVA told The Post.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources quote or paraphrase a representative from SVA stating that Brian Appel is no longer employed by the school and does not hold emeritus faculty status.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brian Christopher Rutenberg (born September 18, 1965, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) is an American abstract painter. Rutenberg received his BFA from the College of Charleston in 1987 and his MFA fr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Rutenberg

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable alumni and instructors of the School of Visual Arts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_School_of_Visual_Arts_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as pe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_arts

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.