Another female influencer has been punched in the head in New York. Is it the same attacker?
Does anyone remember that bizarre era in March 2024 when the internet became convinced that there was a rogue assailant running amok across New York City and punching influencers in the face? Well, as it turns out, it actually ended up being a few different individuals whose attacks on women coincidentally went viral at the same time. Now, over a year on, another influencer has fallen victim to an eerily similar assault.
Author and influencer Kindra Hall was punched in the face by a stranger during an unprovoked attack on Wednesday 14 May 2025. The content creator shared this information with her 66,000 followers on Instagram just two days ago, on Wednesday 21 May.
Hall posted a video of CCTV footage capturing the moment in question. It shows a man wearing a blue hooded coat approach Hall and, out of nowhere, punch her in the head, knocking her to the ground.
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In the caption, Hall began: “On Wednesday, May 14th, around 10:30am I was punched in the head by a passing stranger. I wasn’t going to post this as a reel… but there are a few pieces of the story I hadn’t shared and I think they are important for my UES community and fellow NYers to know.”
The creator goes on to list a number of factors that are important to consider when looking at this attack.
For starters, she explains that she wasn’t on her phone or distracted and that this assault truly came out of the blue and was therefore completely unavoidable.
Moreover, Hall went into great detail on the failings of the police who were handling this case: “The police took approximately 30 min to arrive and once they did, even after showing the video with the guy shouting threats, acted like it wasn’t a big deal. I remember saying, ‘So since I’m not bleeding, a punch to the head is ok?!’ When I refused to back down and only after I told them I had a headache… They agreed to go to the address the man shouted in the video and MADE ME GO WITH THEM, despite having video footage clearly identifying him. I can’t describe how terrifying that was. Maybe they were hoping I’d refuse and give up?”
The caption concluded with Hall emphasising that it was her husband who obtained the security footage, not the police. Supposedly, the police didn’t even attempt to ask the owner of the nail salon (whose camera it was) for the footage.
The Independent, who reported on the assault, noted that while Hall was filming the attacker on her phone, he could be heard shouting “Want to marry me so I can slit your throat?” The man was later identified as 43-year-old Yao Reed.
When the police arrived at Reed’s address, the perpetrator said to one officer “You wanna die. Shall I incinerate you?” He was then taken away after several more officers came as back-up. The 43-year-old was later charged with assault in the third degree.
In March 2024, when a series of videos began circulating of different female influencers in NYC being victims of similar attacks, netizens theorised that it might be the same person.
@halleykate ♬ original sound - halley
@mikaylatoninato @halley i quite literally feel your pain this was so insane
♬ original sound - mikayla
@olivia.brand I <3 nyc
♬ original sound - Olivia Brand
However, reports later confirmed that multiple assailants were responsible for the assaults. Indeed, there’s a high chance that Reed was not involved in the attacks that took place in 2024. That being said, the similarities are eerie. Hopefully, this will be the last we hear of such awful incidents.
