'Modern Family' actress Sarah Hyland looked excited as she arrived for a promotional event in Sydney, Australia, Thursday. But her excitement quickly turned into shock and disgust after a fan groped her while posing with her for a photo.
Hyland, 23, promptly alerted her security guards who informed the police. Sydney police arrested and charged the 29-year-old man with an act of indecency, reports the Associated Press.
An eyewitness told E! Online, the button-nosed actress pushed the man away and shouted, "Don't touch me there!"
Australian law punishes person found guilty of indecent assault with a jail term of maximum five years.
She made a quick exit from the event after the incident. Hyland apologized to her fans for her hasty departure from the event. "Sorry to all the fans outside the #qantas event that I didn't get to say hi to but I had to leave due to an inappropriate touch of a fan" Hyland tweeted. Hyland looked visibly shaken and was tearful.
Hyland's boyfriend actor Matt Proko also tweeted condemning the act using explicit language. "To the a**hole who assaulted Sarah tonight I hope to God you don't see next week. All Sarah wanted to do tonight was say hi to the girls who were waiting outside one douche can ruin it for everyone. Goodnight."
"Sorry for the 'offensive' tweet. But in the states we respect women," he said in another tweet.
Hyland and the 'Modern Family' cast are in Sydney to shoot an episode. According to the Daily Mail, Hyland and the rest of the team was back to work after the incident. Proko also joined her at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Hyland plays the role of the oldest sibling Haley Dunphy in the popular ABC sitcom 'Modern Family.'
