Two men, identified as 33-year-old Michael James and 31-year-old Michael Santiago, have been arrested after a bizarre and disturbing scene in New York, in which James called a woman the N-word before setting her boots on fire in what authorities are describing as a hate crime, according to The Independent.
The incident, which was reportedly livestreamed by the suspects, took place around 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Chelsea neighborhood near West 26th Street and Seventh Avenue, ABC 7 reported.
According to AM New York, one of the suspects was wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat at the time.
The 54-year-old woman told authorities the two men approached her, with one filming using a cellphone attached to a selfie stick. She said one of the suspects asked her for a kiss and leaned in to try to kiss her. When she pushed him away, he responded with racist language, including the slur and references to “slave.”
As she attempted to walk away, the men stopped her again. One then brandished a lighter and set her shoes on fire, she told police. The woman was eventually able to leave the scene.
NYPD Crime Stoppers said the suspects had also been harassing other pedestrians.
Video of the incident later went viral after it was uploaded to a social media account named ScrubsNYC. In the footage, the suspect wearing the red hat is seen speaking with the unidentified Black woman, who is wearing a green parka, in a low voice, asking if she would be his “slave” and if he could kiss her. When he asked her again if she would be his slave, she responded, “I would never.” Eventually, things escalate between them when he asks if he can kiss her boot. It’s then that he leans down and sets her boot on fire.
The incident was reported to the 10th Precinct, which referred the case to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.
Both men were arrested Wednesday evening and face charges including assault and criminal mischief, both classified as hate crimes. They also face additional charges of aggravated harassment, misdemeanor assault, menacing, criminal mischief, arson, and criminal tampering.
