Penal Law § 165.25

Jostling · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 165.25 Jostling.

A person is guilty of jostling when, in a public place, he intentionally and unnecessarily:

1. Places his hand in the proximity of a person's pocket or handbag; or

2. Jostles or crowds another person at a time when a third person's hand is in the proximity of such person's pocket or handbag.

Jostling is a class A misdemeanor.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/165.25

In plain English

A person commits jostling in a public place by intentionally and unnecessarily:

(1) putting a hand near another person’s pocket or handbag; or
(2) jostling or crowding someone while a third person’s hand is near that person’s pocket or handbag. ★

It is a class A misdemeanor.

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.