A New York creator says a man went on a rampage at a red light, punching her car, along with the vehicles around her. She says he eventually climbed onto her hood before walking away, leaving behind visible damage.
Posted to TikTok by @weronikaraczkowskaa, the video shows the man climbing onto the hood of the creator’s car before strolling off. She then shows the damage left behind. The caption offered a warning to anyone thinking about moving to the city. “If you were looking for a sign to move to New York. Don’t.”
The New York creator later explained what happened before she started filming. She and the surrounding cars were stopped at a red light when the man allegedly began acting erratically. He walked up and started swinging and punching at the vehicles, which is when she pulled out her phone.
She claimed she didn’t feel safe getting out or speaking with the man, so she stayed inside and recorded. She later confirmed she reported the incident to police.
TikTok Wants Answers
The video left commenters with a lot to say about the alleged incident, both about the damage and about her decision to stay in the car. Some were just stunned by the dent. “I would cry if I hopped on a car and it made a dent like that omg,” one commenter wrote. Others zeroed in on the legal angle. “So legally, that actually counts as battery! Tell me you reported this!” one viewer wrote.
Not everyone agreed with how she handled it. Several thought she should have done more in the moment. “Why did you just let him do this?!? Stop videotaping & stand up for yourself,” one commenter wrote. Others pushed back on that, arguing that recording was the smarter move, since the footage could help identify the man and back up a police or insurance report.
A few commenters wanted more info about what happened before the recording. “As a New Yorker, I need a lot more context,” one commenter wrote. Another thought the clip left something out, pointing out that the creator’s car appeared to be moving while the man was crossing the street. “Maybe give the full story..” they wrote.
While some viewers weren’t fazed by any of it. One said the incident wouldn’t stop them from moving to New York and that they’d just report the guy to police.
What comes through in the comments is how random the whole situation was. A lot of people said what they would have done differently, from fighting back to getting out. But it’s easy to know what you’d do from behind a screen. You don’t really know how you’d react until it’s happening to you.
