Accused New York City serial puncher indicted on hate crime charges
A New York man faces hate crime charges in connection to multiple attacks on women over several months.
A man accused of assaulting strangers in New York City in a string of "anti-female, anti-white, and antisemitic incidents" was indicted on hate crimes charges Tuesday.
Skiboky Stora, the alleged serial puncher, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom.
"Skiboky Stora allegedly committed a series of hate-motivated incidents against several individuals based on their perceived gender, race and religion," Manhattan District Attorney Bragg said in a statement announcing the charges. "Much of what defines our city is respect and acceptance of all people. Nobody should have to fear for their safety because of their identity. I thank our prosecutors for their unwavering commitment in seeking justice for these victims."
NYC WOMEN ARE PUNCHED IN THE FACE ON STREETS: TIKTOK SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT FRIGHTENING ASSAULTS
Earlier in the day, Bragg announced that Stora, 40, a Brooklyn resident, was charged with assaulting, stalking and harassing strangers from September 2023 to March. His formal charges are three counts of third-degree assault as a hate crime, three counts of third-degree stalking as a hate crime and second-degree aggravated harassment.
The most recent attack occurred on March 25, when a 23-year-old woman in the Chelsea neighborhood was hit, prosecutors said. That incident attracted widespread attention after the victim posted about it on TikTok, resulting in millions of views, and several other people described similar attacks in social media posts.
Influencer Halley McGookin — who goes by "Halley Kate" — made a tearful video describing the attack.
She was walking past Stora, when he allegedly punched her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground, Bragg said.
On Nov. 18, 2023, a Jewish couple, both 28, were walking their dogs in Union Square, when the woman saw Stora tearing down posters of Israeli hostages being held captive in Gaza by Hamas.
When Stora noticed they were staring at him, he followed them and allegedly shouted "anti-white and antisemitic remarks," including "F--- you white boy." A good Samaritan invited the couple into their apartment building.
Stored followed them into the lobby and allegedly said "Die, Jews, Die!"
On October 26, 2023, Stora allegedly elbowed a "fair-skinned" woman walking past him on her left shoulder. She experienced pain and bruising, Bragg said.
The first known incident involving Stora occurred on Sept. 20, 2023, when he allegedly elbowed a 17-year-old White student in the neck.
"You people think you can do whatever the f--- you want," he told the victim, prosecutors said.
In recent years, Stora has run for political office as a fringe candidate, including an unsuccessful City Council bid last year, the New York Post reported.
He lost to to Yusef Salaam, one of the "Central Park Five" who were falsely convicted of the 1989 rape of a white woman in Central Park.
