A number of New York TikTokkers have claimed they were also punched in the face while wandering the streets of Manhattan in the wake of a viral video.
Social media influencer Halley Kate posted a clip after being run over in broad daylight while walking in New York City.
Since the shocking confession video was uploaded online Monday morning, many other people have echoed her claims, saying they had previously been victims of random violence on the streets of Manhattan.
TikTok personality Mikayla Toninato says she was punched in the face while walking home from class, in a video that has garnered 7.4 million views.
Toninato said she was looking at her phone and texting when a man appeared out of nowhere and punched her in the face.
Social media influencer Halley Kate posted a video in which she claims she was punched in the face in broad daylight while walking on the streets of New York City.
In a video that has garnered 7.4 million views, TikTokker Mikayla Toninato revealed that she was punched in the face while walking home from class.
Another TikTokker shared a video last week, on March 17, in which she told users that she, too, had been randomly beaten in New York City. “I literally got hit on the sidewalk by a man,” Olivia Brand said in her video, which has nearly four million views.
Selena Pikanab, who has over a million followers on the social media app, captioned her video: “Getting punched in New York wasn’t on my agenda today.” This happened to me around 1 in the afternoon and I had work immediately afterwards.’
Another user, @malous228, revealed that she had been run over on Saturday, March 23, in Times Square while leaving the subway station.
“I don’t know if this is something that’s going around out there,” Toninato said, referencing a similar Halley Kate story.
She warned her followers not to walk around with their phones and to be “super aware” of their surroundings.
Another person shared a video last week, on March 17, in which she told users that she had also been randomly beaten in New York City.
“I literally got punched on the sidewalk by a man,” Olivia Brand said in her video, which has nearly four million views.
“He says ‘I’m sorry’ and then hits me on the head,” she said.
Another popular TikTok star uploaded a video on Monday saying she had also been beaten in New York.
Selena Pikanab, who has over a million followers on the social media app, captioned her video: “Getting punched in New York wasn’t on my agenda today.” This happened to me around one in the afternoon and I had work immediately afterwards.’
On Tuesday morning, a TikTok user uploaded a video saying she, too, had been punched in the head.
The user, @malous228, revealed that she had been run over on Saturday, March 23 in Times Square while leaving the subway station.
She said a random man walked up and punched her in the head. The TikTokker said she is still sore and that it was a “traumatic experience.”
She also managed to obtain a video of the alleged attacker after he chased her.
The NYPD confirmed with DailyMail.com that Halley Kate filed a police report following the ordeal.
Officers confirmed in an email that the incident occurred while Kate, 23, “was walking in the vicinity of West 16 Street and 7 Avenue, when she was struck in the head by an unknown individual.”
Users flooded into the comments to express their concern over the staggering number of attacks being reported.
“Just confirmed this is the fourth video I’ve seen about this in the last 12 hours,” one viewer commented on Pikanab’s video.
‘I just watched Halley’s video, then Olivia’s and now yours… all in a row. “This is scary,” said another.
‘WHAT’S HAPPENING IN NYC,’ one user commented.
‘Why are we walking and not CALLING THE POLICE!!??’ Another commented on Toninato’s video.
The NYPD confirmed with DailyMail.com that Halley Kate filed a police report following the ordeal.
Officers confirmed that the incident occurred while Kate “was walking in the vicinity of West 16 Street and 7 Avenue, when an unknown individual struck her in the head.”
“The victim fell to the ground and suffered injuries to the left side of his face (and) was treated at a local medical facility.”
Police said there have been no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.
In an emotional video that has garnered more than 27 million views, Kate filmed herself moments after being punched in the face.
“Guys, I was literally walking and a man came up and punched me in the face,” Kate said in the video with tears streaming down her face.
“Oh my God, it was so bad I can’t even talk.”
The influencer, who has more than a million followers on TikTok, said she lost consciousness and fell to the ground after the attack.
Kate posted a follow-up video from the safety of her apartment, revealing what she described as a “devil’s horn”-looking lump on the left side of her forehead.
“Yeah, I’m going to the hospital, oh my God, it looks like a fucking devil’s horn,” he said, after noticing the lump starting to form while filming.
“The victim fell to the ground and suffered injuries to the left side of his face (and) was treated at a local medical facility,” according to the email.
The influencer, who has more than a million followers on TikTok, said she lost consciousness and fell to the ground after the attack.
The content creator said the man, who has not yet been identified, punched her while she was looking at her phone to respond to an email.
‘I literally blacked out, so I don’t really remember. But I guess he was really angry because he had his head down; “He was walking a dog, so he took it upon himself to attack me and let me know to be aware of my surroundings,” Kate said.
After regaining consciousness, Kate said she woke up to the man yelling at her.
The victim posted another TikTok of him freezing his head off with the caption: “when you were supposed to record a podcast but now you’re freezing your head off with a package of acai from Trader Joe’s waiting for the police to arrive.”
Kate, who has more than 1 million followers on TikTok, said she lost consciousness and fell to the ground after the assault.
Kate posted a follow-up video from the safety of her apartment, revealing what she described as a “devil’s horn”-shaped lump on the left side of her forehead.
The influencer thanked her followers for their signs of concern and confirmed with the doctor that she would be fine but would look for symptoms such as vomiting or loss of vision.
Pictured: A view of West 16th Street and 7th Ave, where the incident occurred.
In a fourth video, Kate thanked her followers for their expressions of concern and confirmed with the doctor that she would be fine but would look for symptoms such as vomiting or loss of vision.
“I’m going to be fine, I think I’m going to recover quickly,” he said, stating that he was experiencing a severe migraine.
As Kate’s video gained traction, so did other stories from users claiming they had also been punched in the face by a strange man, sparking online outrage about public safety in New York.
“I’ve lived here for six years and I haven’t had anything even remotely like what happened to me yesterday,” he said.
“While it’s obviously really disturbing and disgusting that women have to deal with shit like this, I personally am not going to revolve my life around that incident and be afraid to walk the streets, go to restaurants, live my life.”
“I think this serves as a good wake-up call to be a little more aware of my surroundings, and that’s not just in New York City, literally anywhere in the world.”
DailyMail.com has contacted Kate for comment.
