Real Housewives of New York alum Bethenny Frankel revealed that she was also a victim of an alarming trend happening all over New York City where women are randomly being punched in the face by men. Several stories from different women have popped up on TikTok talking about their terrifying encounters, and Bethenny confessed the same thing had happened to her.
“This is insane [because] this happened to me a few months ago but I was embarrassed to say,” Bethenny, 53, wrote in the comment section of one TikTok video on Wednesday, March 27. “I was on the UWS [Upper West Side]. Insane. I was taking video of a bakery.”
The comment has since been deleted.
The same day, the New York City Police Department posted a message from their official X account reporting that they had arrested a man they believed to be the culprit.
“The NYPD is aware of a viral video circulating on social media depicting a woman who was randomly assaulted in an unprovoked attack. The individual has been arrested and charged and is a criminal recidivist with an extensive criminal record. Your NYPD detectives were able to identify the man after he was previously arrested for similar attacks, only to be released back onto our streets. This incident will be his third arrest in the past six months. Your officers will continue to remain resilient in their efforts to stop violent criminals, ensuring the safety of our communities,” the message read.
At least four other women have posted about their similar experiences of being assaulted while walking in New York City.
“I literally just got punched by some man on the sidewalk. He goes ‘Sorry’ and then punches me in the head,” one woman said in a video posted on March 17.
Another woman reported a similar incident on March 18, and an additional TikTok user followed with the same story on Monday, March 26.
“You guys, I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face,” a TikTok user said in a video posted on Monday, March 25. “Oh my God, it hurts so bad I can’t even talk. [I] literally just fell to the ground, and now, this giant goose egg is forming.”
The woman showed viewers her forehead where a large knot was protruding from her head. Later the same day, she told her followers she was planning on going to the hospital and gave more details regarding the incident.
“I was just walking on the sidewalk, and my head was down and I was looking at my phone just sending an email, but there was so much room on the sidewalk. Literally nobody was around and I guess this man, I don’t know if he punched me or elbowed me. I just passed out; I don’t really remember.” the TikTok user said. “I guess he was just really mad that my head was down. He was walking a dog, so I guess he just took it upon himself to body check me and let me know to be conscious of my surroundings.”
The woman continued, “Then I fell to the ground and literally blacked out for a second. When I got up, he was just screaming at me and I was just scared so I literally just ran away.”
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