Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel recently revealed that she had been randomly assaulted by someone in New York City, adding to the concerning number of reports from women in the area who claimed to have experienced similarly random attacks.
Frankel made the claim in a since-deleted comment on a TikTok video, in which fashion student Mikayla Toninato alleged she had been punched by a man while walking home.
“This is insane [because] this happened to me a few months ago but I was embarrassed to say,” Frankel wrote, per Page Six. “I was on the [Upper West Side]. Insane. I was taking video of a bakery.”
This is the first time Frankel has publicly shared this claim. Her comment has since been deleted, but TMZ reports that Frankel did not delete her own comment.
A number of women have recently come forward on TikTok to warn others about this concerning trend. Many claim the assaults happened as they were walking down the street in Manhattan.
In some instances, victims shared that the man apologized before assaulting them.
The New York Police Department issued a statement on social media noting that a suspect had been arrested in connection to a woman who was “randomly assaulted in an unprovoked attack.”
“The NYPD is aware of a viral video circulating on social media depicting a woman who was randomly assaulted in an unprovoked attack,” the NYPD’s statement said. “The individual has been arrested and charged and is a criminal recidivist with an extensive criminal record.”
The statement continued, “Your NYPD detectives were able to identify the man after he was previously arrested for similar attacks, only to be released back onto our streets. This incident will be his third arrest in the past six months.”
The police told Page Six it is unclear if the incidents detailed in these viral videos are connected.
Decider reached out to Frankel’s representatives for further information.
