Many people are questioning what is going on in New York City, and why so many women are being randomly punched in the face while strolling down the street.
Halley Kate (@halleykate), a TikTok user, said in a video on the verge of tears, “you guys, I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face, and now this giant goose-egg is forming.”
In a different video, @mikayla detailed her encounter: as she was leaving class and looking at her phone, a man approached her on the street and hit her in the face. “I’m actually in shock right now,” she stated.
“Three videos of girls getting punched in the face for being on their phones in New York. What’s going on?”
A follow-up video told Halley’s experience in further detail and provided an update.
A follow up video shared more of Halley’s story, as well as an update.
“I was just walking on the sidewalk, and my head was down, and I was like looking at my phone, just sending an email. But there was so much room on the sidewalk and literally nobody was around, and I guess this man, I don’t know if he punched me or if he elbowed me. I literally passed out,” she said.
“I think he just was really mad that my head was down. He was walking his dog, so he took it upon himself to body check me and let me know to be conscious of my surroundings.”
Halley reported that after being punched, she collapsed on the ground and “blacked out for a second.” When she stood up, the man screamed at her. She stood up and fled, terrified.
One follower suggested, “Do you remember where you were? Nearby establishments may have security cameras facing the sidewalk.” Another user commented, “Wait, this is the second video I saw like this today!”
In a subsequent video, Halley clarified that she did go to urgent care to get checked. She further said that she called the cops and was told that her story matched another one they had recently received.
With so many people discovering videos with the same alarming theme on TikTok, it has sparked a discussion on staying attentive and aware of your surroundings at all times.
TikTok user Taylor Paré posted a video about the numerous videos she has seen of girls being punched in the face. She also shared her story of getting randomly punched in New York City last year.
“Three different videos of girls getting punched in the face for being on their phones in New York. What’s going on?” she started her video. “It reminded me of last year when I got punched in the face because I was on my phone in Union Square. And you don’t see it coming, and all of a sudden you just think to yourself, what just happened.”
She said she saw the guy who hit her in the face. She ran after him, asking, “What the f—?”
“When this stuff happens to you, you have such a delayed reaction and response,” she continued. “You think that you’d be alert, you’d be up to scrap. No. You’re just kind of in shock that someone would put their hands on you in such a vulnerable moment.”
Paré then said she’s begging everyone to be more aware and not use their phones while strolling down the street.
“Actually what we need to do is encourage proactive bystanders, not further regulate women’s existence in public spaces. People just stand and stare. That’s the problem,” one viewer wrote in the comments.
Another person noted that exclusively women are being targeted in New York City. “Yet I haven’t heard one dude being punched for being on his phone. It’s ridiculous how many men just buck up to women and women alone.”