The lawyer for a white pregnant New York City physician’s assistant who was vilified as a racist on social media after a confrontation with a group of young black men who claimed that one of them paid for a city bike she was taking has reportedly produced receipts showing she paid for the bike.
The encounter on May 12 between the nurse and the man, who had several apparent friends with him, resulted in a viral video seen over 40 million times with some people branding the woman a “Karen” for her actions during the incident. The lawyer representing the nurse said that she had finished a 12-hour shift when she paid for the bike and removed it from its docking station, only to have the group approach her with one holding onto the handlebars, claiming it was his. One man allegedly pushed the bike back into its docking station, prompting the woman to call for help and look as if she was trying to cry.
“One or more individuals in that group physically pushed her bike (with her on it) back into the docking station, causing it to re-lock,” Justin Marino, the woman’s attorney, told The New York Post, adding that one of the men covered the bike’s QR code so the woman could not pay for it again.
“In blocking the QR code, this individual’s arm was touching my client’s pregnant stomach, a condition of which she had made them aware,” the attorney continued. “Throughout this time and for the remainder of the video, roughly five individuals were telling her to get off the bike and heckling her. The fact anyone would treat another person like this is tragic, especially a visibly pregnant woman.”
The attorney produced two timestamped Citi Bike receipts only minutes apart; the first purportedly represented the contested bike while the second was for another bike the woman rented to get home, and it showed the 25-minute ride she took to get home. Insider noted that the Citi Bike identification number on the first receipt matched the receipt shown in the viral video.
After video of the incident was released, NYC Health + Hospitals placed the woman on leave on Tuesday. A spokesman stated, “We are aware of the video involving a health care provider off duty and away from the hospital campus. The incident in the video is disturbing. The provider is currently out on leave and will remain on leave pending a review. As a health system we are committed to providing an environment for our patients and staff that is free from discrimination of any kind.”
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