On Monday, March 25, Mikayla Toninato, a Parsons fashion design student, posted a video on TikTok describing how she had been punched in the face by a man as she was walking out of a New School building. Toninato is one of many women who were attacked in Manhattan in the last two weeks.

Toninato’s TikTok was one of four videos posted on the same day, where multiple women in NYC took to TikTok to recount their experiences just minutes after being physically assaulted on the streets. All the women mentioned in their videos that they were looking at their phones on the sidewalk when they were punched by an unidentified assailant.

An X user named Tyler McCall posted a map on March 26, outlining the area where most of the assaults had occurred, which spans from W. Houston St. and Union Square, starting on Fourth Avenue and going up to Sixth Avenue. The region highlighted by McCall encompasses almost the entirety of The New School’s campus. 

“I remember seeing videos on TikTok. I [thought] I didn’t really need to worry about that, and then I saw a video from a girl at The New School, and I was like, that’s a bit too close to home,” Amalia Guimaraes, a third-year self-design major at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, said. 

The TikTok videos quickly faced backlash from viewers, with many commenters insinuating that the women may have invited the assault due to being on their phones and criticizing them for not being aware of their surroundings.

“I can punch back if someone punched me in the face,” Emi Dubrawski, a second-year psychology major at Lang said. “I probably wouldn’t just stand there. I’d probably be like, ‘What the fuck?’ And then punch back.” 

Parents of TNS students also expressed concern for their students’ safety on a New School parent Facebook group. “My daughter has said this has been going on for a while. As always, ask your girls to travel in pairs when possible,” Angi Jones, a TNS parent and member of the group chat, wrote. 

Toninato updated her TikTok viewers on Friday, March 29, stating in a video that her assaulter had been arrested. In the video, Toninato stated that the detective on her case, Detective James Miller, was out looking for more surveillance footage when he saw the suspect walking down the street and was able to apprehend him. She stated that she also received a call from the State of New York’s Victim Support Office, saying they would cover her medical bills from the assault. 

“Trust me, I was one of the people that thought if I filed a police report, that nothing was going to happen,” Toninanto stated in her video. “But if you have been assaulted, I highly encourage you to report this to the police…even if you don’t know that much at all if you go to them, it is enough,” she said. 

The university responded to the widespread concern by sending a community-wide message on March 27, providing safety tips for all students. The email reminded students that residence halls are open 24 hours and are fully staffed at all times. Students are welcome to enter buildings and contact Campus Safety or utilize the Campus Safety app for assistance. 

The email also noted that the University Center follows the same hours of operation. However, the TNS website states that the UC is only open from 7:30 a.m. to midnight and not 24 hours.