All we know about New York City women getting punched in the face as police arrest 40-year-old man

The strange phenomenon of incidents of women randomly getting punched in the face in New York City has taken yet another turn after New York police claimed to have made an arrest.

A series of videos have taken over platforms like TikTok, in which different women, in various parts of New York, are sharing stories about these physical assaults.

Halley Kate was one of the first women to speak up about this on TikTok, and went viral shortly after, with millions of views.

All the stories have a similar structure, making it seem like it is the handiwork of one person. All the victims have claimed that they were attacked in broad daylight in New York by unknown men, while walking down the street. Some said they were on the phone at the time of the attack while others mentioned that they were looking ahead, and were caught unawares.

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The New York Police Department is investigating whether the perpetrator is the same in all the attacks

On March 27, New York police said they have made an arrest for the attack of Halley Kate, and investigations are still going on for another.

According to an online statement by the NYPD, the alleged perpetrator was caught in Chelsea. His name is reportedly Skiboky Stora, a 40 year old man. According to the police, Stora randomly attacked Kate while she was on Seventh Avenue near 17th Street Monday. He has been charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment charges. According to court documents, the attack was recorded on surveillance videos.

This is not the first time Skiboky Stora has been arrested for assault, according to the NYPD. He was arrested in December after two other alleged assaults.

In her video, Halley Kate described the attack on her while showing a giant bump on her forehead as,

"You guys, I was literally just walking, and a man came up and punched me in the face. 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."

After her viral post, several other women spoke up about similar acts of aggression faced by them.

In a March 17 TikTok video, Olivia Brand said,

"I literally just got punched by some man on the sidewalk. He goes 'Sorry' and then punches me in the head."

Another woman, Mikayla Toninato, a student at Parsons School of Design, spoke up about allegedly being attacked outside after she left school, She said,

"I was looking down, and I was looking at my phone, and, like, texting, and then out of nowhere this man just came up and hit me in the face."

In a press meeting with CBS New York, the NYPD said that investigations are going on as to whether Stora was involved in the attacks on these other women too. They also released a statement on Wednesday regarding the attacks on Halley Kate.

The statement said,

"The NYPD is aware of a viral video circulating on social media depicting a woman who was randomly assaulted in an unprovoked attack. The individual has been arrested and charged and is a criminal recidivist with an extensive criminal record. 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. Your officers will continue to remain resilient in their efforts to stop violent criminals, ensuring the safety of our communities."

The NYPD's statement highlights the question once more of how the legal system handles repeat offenders—a topic New York Mayor Eric Adams has addressed on several occasions.