Sentenced: Why Are Women Getting Punched In The Face On The Streets Of New York? What We Know

[Sugar Cookie]

“Why are so many girls getting punched in the face in NYC?”

It’s a question being asked across social media platforms, as a series of videos of different women sharing stories of alleged attacks have gone viral, seemingly simultaneously. “I have seen no less than four of these in the last day WHAT is going on?” one commenter wrote on a video.

The stories share similarities. In front-facing camera videos, young women say they were punched in the face in broad daylight by unknown men while walking down the street. Many say they were on their phone at the time of the attack.


New York police said on March 27 that they made an arrest in one of the incidents and are investigating another, NBC News reported.

While police wouldn’t confirm that any of the incidents described in the TikTok videos are under investigation, they shared that the cases resemble those shared on social media.

Caitlin Keith spoke to TODAY.com about an incident that took place in December 2023 that shares similarities with the recent viral stories, and the impact it had on her.

The 25-year-old explains that she made eye contact with a “young white male” while walking at 9 a.m. in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. The man, who she describes as about 5-foot-10 and in his 20s, began following her down Broadway.

“At one point I felt him start running, so I moved all of the way over to my right and he came up to me on the left, spit all over my face and back and punched me in the left side of the face,” she says.

She says the event has changed her. “Since the incident, my boyfriend has noticed anytime anyone comes up on my sides behind me I freak out,” she says. “I get scared incredibly easily if I catch anyone in my peripherals or if I feel someone running behind me.”


Ruby Zinner, 24, said she was attacked in December by a tall man in an orange construction vest 400 feet from her building. She tells TODAY.com the experience, while troubling, hasn’t made her want to leave New York. “I’d much rather live here than anywhere else, if we’re talking about safety. Because there’s a million people here and, in a way, that always has made me feel safer,” she says.

Influencer Halley Mcgookin, known online as Halley Kate, went viral for her March 25 video describing an attack that had just taken place.

In the video, which has garnered over 35 million views, a teary Mcgookin says she had just been punched on the streets of New York. She points to a massive bump on the upper right side of her head, seemingly from the impact.

In a follow-up video, Mcgookin explains that she was walking on the sidewalk looking down at her phone to send an email when a man punched her.

“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 literally passed out, so I don’t really remember,” she says, adding that the man was walking his dog when he approached her.

Mcgookin says that when she tried to get up after being knocked down, the man was “screaming” at her before she ran away.

Skiboky Stora, 40, of Brooklyn, was arrested on March 27 on an assault charge in connection with the incident, police said.

Stora has sought public office in New York since 2021, public records show. Last year, he ran for the District 9 seat on the New York City Council.

Tagging Mcgookin in her own video, TikTok user Mikayla Toninato posted a clip March 25 saying she was also punched in the face while leaving class in Manhattan at Parsons School of Design.

“I turned the corner and I was looking down and I was looking at my phone and texting, and out of nowhere, this man just came up and hit me in the face,” she said in the video.

Toninato told NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk on TODAY on March 28 that she suffered a concussion after being punched in the cheekbone.

“It’s been really, really hard,” Toninato said. “I think it hits me in waves. A lot of crying, because it was really scary.”

She said the attack has affected her education.

“I’m really scared to go back to school,” she said. “I’ve just been delaying as long as possible, but I’ll have to go back eventually.”

Also on March 25, Selena Pikanab posted on TikTok saying she was punched in SoHo. She was approached while using her phone to navigate herself. After hearing “excuse me,” she looked up and saw a man holding his fist up “ready to swing” so she backed away and he punched her in the shoulder. She said she screamed and took out a taser attached to her backpack, and the man ran away.

In a video posted March 26, a TikTok user @kendalllllllll888 ices a bump on her head as she says, “I have fallen victim to the men in New York City … trying to punch innocent girls in the street.” She says she was assaulted while walking through Times Square with her coworkers, and she wasn’t on her phone.

The women describe an array of perpetrators, though some are making connections by watching each others’ videos.

After seeing the slate of videos, @malous228 shared what happened to her in Times Square on March 23, when a “random man … punched her in the head.” She also posted a video of the alleged perpetrator, who was wearing a red coat.

“It was a traumatic experience and something that is going to tick with me for the ret of my life,” she says.

TikTok user @olivia.brand’s posted March 17 an account saying, “I literally just got punched by some man on the sidewalk. He goes, ‘Sorry,’ the punches me in the head.” TikToker Jill Burke posted a video Feb. 8 with a black eye. She says a man “slammed” a bag of heavy items on her face, leading to a concussion and a possible chipped bone.

Why are women getting punched in the face on the streets of New York? What we know

Young women are reporting on TikTok that they were punched in the face while walking in New York City during the day. Heres's what they said ad what to know.

www.yahoo.com

Police have arrested a man they say randomly punched a woman in the face in Chelsea.

Halley Kate's video about the attack went viral on TikTok, garnering tens of millions of views.

Word of the arrest comes as NYPD sources confirm they are now looking into several similar random attacks on women between March 25-27 in Chinatown, the West Village, Chelsea and Midtown. All of the victims were punched in the head and assaulted while walking.

Skiboky Stora, 40, was arrested Wednesday. Police say Stora randomly attacked Kate, 23, while she was walking on Seventh Avenue near 17th Street just after 10 a.m. Monday. He faces misdemeanor assault and harassment charges. According to court documents, the assault was captured on surveillance video.

Stora has a history of similar assaults, police said. He had been arrested in December following two other alleged assaults. He is being held on $10,000 bail.

So far, of the recent assaults the NYPD is looking into, Stora has only been connected to the assault on Kate. He remains a suspect in several of the other open cases, sources said.

"You guys, I was literally just walking, and a man came up and punched me in the face," Kate said in her video, while displaying a large bump on her forehead. "Oh my God, it hurts so bad. I can't even talk. Literally, I fell to the ground and now this giant goose egg is forming."

Her viral post helped shine a light on a handful of similar posts by other women, who also described being randomly attacked.

"I literally just got punched by some man on the sidewalk. He goes 'Sorry' and then punches me in the head," Olivia Brand said in a video posted on TikTok on March 17.

Man who allegedly punched NYC woman in the face arrested after viral TikTok video

Skiboky Stora, 40, was arrested Wednesday. According to police, Stora allegedly randomly attacked Halley Kate while she was walking on near Seventh Avenue near 17th Street Monday.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Ella Mayo]

Racism.

 

[Metalfan]

I'd be a little upset If I was named Skiboky to. It fits right in with spelunking.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the sentencing of SKIBOKY STORA, 42, to 3-to-9 years in state prison for assaulting, stalking and harassing strangers in a series of anti-female, anti-white, and antisemitic incidents. Additionally, full and final Orders of Protection were issued for each victim. On February 25, 2026, New York State Supreme Court Judge Josh Hanshaft convicted STORA of two counts of Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime, and one count each of Stalking in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime, Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree and Attempted Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime.

“Skiboky Stora engaged in a disturbing pattern of hate-fueled violence targeting and intimidating strangers, causing physical harm and lasting emotional trauma to these New Yorkers,” said District Attorney Bragg. “As made clear from today’s statements at sentencing, Stora’s attacks robbed them of their sense of safety and altered how they navigate daily life. Today’s sentence sends a clear message that this conduct is unacceptable and carries significant consequences. Our Hate Crimes Unit investigates, prosecutes, and works to prevent hate crimes across Manhattan, and if you have been a victim or witness to a hate crime or bias incident, we encourage you to contact our Hate Crimes Unit at 212-335-3100.”

As proven at trial, and according to court documents and statements made on the record, on September 20, 2023, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a 17-year-old white student walked past STORA in Chelsea, near West 17th Street and 8th Avenue. As he passed, STORA elbowed him in the neck, causing pain, and stated in substance, “You people think you can do whatever the f— you want.”

On October 26, 2023, at approximately 8:10 a.m., a 37-year-old fair-skinned, woman walked past STORA in Chelsea, near West 17th Street and 8th Avenue. As she passed STORA, he elbowed the woman’s left shoulder, causing pain and bruising.

On November 18, 2023, at approximately 9:30 a.m., a 28-year-old woman and her 28-year-old husband, a white, Jewish couple, were walking their dogs in Union Square. As they approached East 15th Street and 5th Avenue, the woman saw STORA tearing down posters of kidnapped Israeli hostages and took a picture of him. Noticing the couple looking at him, STORA began to follow them and shout anti-white and antisemitic remarks, including, “F— you white boy.” A Good Samaritan invited the couple inside her apartment building so they could get away from STORA. STORA followed them into the building lobby, yelling in substance, “Die, Jews, Die!”

On March 25, 2024, at approximately 10:20 a.m., a 23-year-old white woman was walking in Chelsea, near West 17th Street and 7th Avenue. As she passed STORA, he struck her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground. She also suffered pain and swelling on the left side of her head.

STORA was arrested two days later after a joint investigation conducted by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Read more

D.A. Bragg Announces Sentencing Of Skiboky Stora For Multiple Hate Crime Incidents

“Skiboky Stora engaged in a disturbing pattern of hate-fueled violence targeting and intimidating strangers, causing physical harm and lasting emotional trauma to these New Yorkers,” said District Attorney Bragg. “As made clear from today’s statements at sentencing, Stora’s attacks robbed them of th

manhattanda.org

Each of the victims need to attend every parole hearing to ensure this degenerate does the entire 9 years of his sentence.