US Man Accused Of Punching New York Women Charged With Hate Crimes

A New York City man has been indicted on hate crime charges following a series of alleged assaults, stalking, and harassing episodes, the BBC reported. The Manhattan District Attorney's office accused Skiboky Stora, 40, of discriminating against victims based on their colour, religion, and gender. This case received global news after one victim posted a video of her assault on social media. Mr. Stora has pleaded not guilty on all charges.

Several young women have taken to TikTok to share that they were allegedly punched in the face by a stranger on the streets of New York. The bizarre string of events, which started months ago, have been happening in broad daylight and for no known reason, leaving women shocked and scared. Even billionaire Elon Musk took notice of the abysmal incidents, calling it a "failure to prosecute crime." The women who were attacked are now sharing details of their traumatising experiences on social media and warning other women in New York to stay safe.

A 40-year-old man named Skiboky Stora was arrested on March 25 for allegedly sucker-punching a 23-year-old woman in Manhattan. According to the New York Post, Stora maintains 10 different TikTok accounts where he documents his aggression with strangers in NYC. Authorities are investigating whether there are any more assailants in the case.

Why Is The Attacker Targeting Women?

The ordeal first unfolded when a TikToker named Halley Kate reportedly came forward. She 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.” Kate showed viewers a big bruise on the right side of her head.

Failure to prosecute crime in New York (and many other US cities) allows violent criminals to assault women at will!

The governor had to call out the national guard just so people could ride the subway. https://t.co/G6cx8X0GAc

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 28, 2024

It was later reported that Kate was attacked by unsuccessful politician Skiboky Stora, who reportedly has a notorious record of being sexist, xenophobic, and homophobic. Stora has posted dozens of videos on social media, where he can be seen openly harassing unknown women on the streets of New York while campaigning for local body elections.

After Halley Kate, who has 1.1 million followers on TikTok, shared her experience, numerous other women reported facing the same alarming incident. Another TikToker named Mikayla shared that she was looking at her phone while leaving class when she was attacked by a strange man. "I’m actually in shock right now,” Mikayla said, sharing that she was brutally hit in the face.

Hearing Mikayla's story, Olivia Brand said that the "exact same thing" happened to her as well. A man randomly approached her, said 'sorry', and then allegedly punched her in the head. Later, TikToker Jill Burke said that an eerily similar incident happened to her too. One day, at around 10 am, Burke was approached by a stranger and hit on the head with a heavy plastic bag.

"This isn’t something I would typically talk about but this is something women should be more aware of," Burke said on TikTok, warning other women to be alert even in the daytime. Several popular TikTokers have experienced the same ordeal, including Selena Pikanab and stand-up comedian Sarah Suzuki Harvard.

The women on TikTok stated that the attacker always got their attention by saying 'excuse me' or 'sorry' before hitting them in the face. Numerous women have faced the same incident and have filed police complaints. They are now urging other women to stay safe. It is yet to be confirmed whether there are any other accused involved in the case.

According to the Manhattan district attorney, he faces three counts of third-degree assault as a hate crime, one count of third-degree stalking as a hate crime, and second-degree aggravated harassment. Mr. Stora is accused of assaulting Halley McGookin, 23, in Manhattan in late March. She recorded her injury in a TikTok video that has gotten over 50 million views.

In another incident that occurred in September of last year, a 17-year-old student passed past Mr. Stora, who allegedly elbowed him in the neck and shouted an expletive, stating, "You people think you can do whatever you want." 

Mr Stora is also accused of elbowing a 37-year-old lady in the shoulder, inflicting pain and bruising, in October 2023. In a fourth incident in November 2023, he allegedly stalked and harassed a young Jewish couple after they confronted him for ripping down posters of kidnapped Israeli hostages. He was taken into custody on March 27. He was arraigned in New York on Tuesday and granted the right to represent himself in court, according to the BBC. 

Mr. Stora claims that the charges against him are retaliatory for a lawsuit he filed against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.   He is expected to appear in court in August.