Woman punched in NYC: Who is the alleged serial puncher?
NEW YORK - On Wednesday, police arrested 40-year-old Skiboky Stora in connection to randomly assaulting a young woman who was walking in New York City.
The arrest is believed to be in connection to the assault on 23-year-old Halley Kate (@HalleyKate on TikTok), one of several women who shared stories of being randomly punched while walking.
The NYPD said in a post on X, that they are aware of the viral videos and that Stora was arrested in connection to the ongoing investigation.
It is unclear if Stora is a person of interest in any of the other punch accusations made by women on TikTok.
Apparently, Stora has an extensive criminal record, and was previously arrested for similar attacks.
In the report, the woman claims she was walking near West 16th and 7th Avenue when an unknown individual hit her in the head. She then fell to the ground, suffering injuries to the left side of her face, and was treated at a nearby facility, according to the report.
Halley
Halley shared her story on Tuesday, in a video that now has nearly 40 million views.
"I was literally just walking, and a man came up and punched me in the face. Oh my God, it hurts so bad," she said with an obvious lump on the side of her face.
Halley, whose bio reads "I talk a lot", typically shares her everyday life living in New York City and has over 1.2 million followers on TikTok.
"I literally fell to the ground" she said with tears in her eyes.
The NYPD has confirmed Halley's incident and says they are moving forward with their investigation into a possible pattern.
Who is Skiboky Stora?
This is Stora's third arrest in the past six months, according to police.
Stora was charged with multiple counts of assault and harassment.
He is expected to appear in court next week.
Ballot records show that someone with the same name ran for election to the New York City Council to represent District 9 but was disqualified from the general election that was scheduled on November 7, 2023.
The Post reports that he's also ran for mayor and governor over the last three years. They also pointed out Stora's prominent social media, where he can be seen alluding to violence. The Post reports that in a music video posted to his Facebook page, he's seen punching air.