Women in New York City are getting randomly punched in the face, and no one knows why

• Several women in New York City have made TikTok videos about being randomly punched in public.
• The NYPD has confirmed some of these incidents to BI.
• This surge of attacks has increased fears among women and stokes concerns about rising crime in the city.

Women in New York City are getting randomly punched in the face, and no one knows why.

Several women have made TikTok videos describing being randomly attacked as they walked down the street, stoking concerns about crime in the city.

The bizarre punching epidemic first came to light when Halley Kate, a 23-year-old TikToker living in New York City, posted a now-viral video on March 25 in which she said she had been punched in the face while walking down the street.

"I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face. Oh my god, it hurts so bad, I can't even talk," the tearful Kate said, who can be seen with a large lump on her forehead.

In subsequent videos, Kate explained that she had been looking down at her phone when a man walking a dog either punched or elbowed her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head on the sidewalk.

Kate said she went to urgent care and reported the incident to the police.

The NYPD, which does not reveal the identities of victims, confirmed to Business Insider that it had received a report of assault from a 23-year-old woman who had been hit in the head and then fell to the ground and suffered injuries.

They said that a 40-year-old male, identified as Skiboky Stora, had been arrested and charged on March 27, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Stora has previously tried to run for various local government positions, including mayor, governor, and city council, NBC reported.

Kate's original video has been viewed over 40 million times at the time of writing.

The random punching attacks have unsettled women in New York City

Since Kate's story went viral, another TikToker's video from a week before resurfaced in which she also said she had been punched on the street in New York City.

Olivia Brand said a man came up to her in the city's Nolita/SoHo area and said "sorry" before punching her in the head. She said she had reported the incident to police.

NYPD confirmed to BI that a 25-year-old female reported being punched on March 17 in the vicinity of Kenmare Street and Mulberry Street and that it had been filed as an incident of harassment.

Another woman, with the username Malous228, said on TikTok that she had been punched in the head by a random man in Times Square. Her video included a clip of a man who she claimed was her attacker walking away.

She said she had come forward with her story after seeing the other viral videos about similar attacks.

"Girls in New York City need to feel safe. Women, in general, just need to feel safe. I mean, we're always cautious about walking at night, but now we have to be cautious about walking in broad daylight?" she said.

NYPD said they had received a report of assault from a 25-year-old woman on March 23, who said she was hit in the head by an unknown man at the corner of West 42nd Street and 7th Avenue.

Another TikToker, Mikayla Toninato, posted a video with a visible facial injury, saying she had also been randomly punched as she was exiting The New School on 14th Street and 5th Avenue.

A fifth woman, Selena Pikanab, also said on TikTok that a man had punched her in NoHo.

The last two women said they had not filed police reports, and BI could not independently verify the claims.

Gizem Sirmali, a 27-year-old content creator who lives in Germany, told The Guardian she was punched on the streets of SoHo while in the city for work in February.

"I felt a big slap on my face, and I was wearing sunglasses, so the first thing I thought of was my nose," she said. "I immediately wanted to check whether or not it was broken." She said she didn't get a good look at her assailant.

Bethenny Frankel, a Former "Apprentice" contestant and "Real Housewives of New York City" cast member, also reported she had been hit on a Manhattan street, said Page Six, earlier this year.

It is unclear if the punching culprit is the same or if multiple men are carrying out the random attacks.

Toninato said in a TikTok that since going public with her story, several women had reached out to tell her that they had also recently been randomly punched in New York City.

She said that some of the women's descriptions of their attackers matched the man who hit her, but others were different — suggesting it could be several different men behind the random Gizem Sirmali, a 27-year-old content creator who lives in Germany, told The Guardian she was punched on the streets of SoHo while in the city for work in February.

"I felt a big slap on my face and I was wearing sunglasses, so the first thing I thought of was my nose," she said. "I immediately wanted to check whether or not it was broken." She said she didn't get a good look at her assailant.

Bethenny Frankel, a Former "Apprentice" contestant and "Real Housewives of New York City" cast member, also reported she had been hit on a Manhattan street, said Page Six, earlier this year.

It is unclear if the punching culprit is the same or if multiple men are carrying out the random attacks.

Toninato said in a TikTok that since going public with her story, several women had reached out to tell her that they had also recently been randomly punched in New York City.

She said that some of the women's descriptions of their attackers matched the man who hit her, but others were different — suggesting it could be several different men behind the random attacks.

Page Six said more than 25 women had taken to TikTok to share their stories of being attacked.

Psychological impact

The spate of random punching attacks has unsurprisingly unsettled women in New York City.

Many have taken to social media to express their fears about being punched and to warn others to remain vigilant.

The stories come amid fears about rising crime in the city following a spate of reports of random attacks on the subway system, including one that resulted in a commuter's death.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that hundreds of National Guard troops and state troopers were being deployed to the city's subway to address the issue.

Despite the recent influx of alarming stories, data shows that crime rates in New York City have decreased in 2024 compared to last year.

It is unclear whether more women in the city are being randomly assaulted than usual or if it just appears that way because the stories have gained traction online.

The recent string of headline-grabbing violent crimes has led conservatives, including Elon Musk, to blame Democratic leaders for not being strong enough on crime and allowing liberal cities to become hotbeds of criminal activity.

Some activists say that right-wing media have used the subway attacks to scaremonger about crime, a tactic they say will likely continue ahead of the upcoming election.

However, data showing that falling crime rates are unlikely to give New Yorkers much comfort.

"Saying things are getting better doesn't make you feel better," Hochul acknowledged while announcing the deployment of the National Guard to New York City's subway.

"Especially when you've just heard about someone being stabbed in the throat or thrown onto the subway tracks. There's a psychological impact."