A man accused of assaulting or harassing at least five people in New York over the past year, including a woman who documented her injury on TikTok, has been charged with hate crimes for “anti-women, anti- white people and anti-Semites. “attacks,” prosecutors say.
Skiboky Stora, 40, is charged with three counts of third-degree assault as a hate crime, one count of third-degree harassment as a hate crime and second-degree aggravated harassment for the incidents took place from September 2023 to March 2024. the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Stora, of Brooklyn, was previously arrested in March on assault charges, accused of hitting a woman in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. The woman documented the bizarre injury on TikTok.
In that case, the 23-year-old white woman was walking in Chelsea on March 25 when she encountered Stora and he “struck her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground,” authorities said. She suffered pain and swelling on the left side of her head, the prosecutor’s office said.
“You guys, I was literally walking and a man came and punched me in the face,” she said through tears in her video. “Oh, my God, it hurts so much. I can’t even talk.
She was one of several women who posted on the platform describing being punched or attacked while walking down the street in Manhattan.
“Skiboky Stora allegedly committed a series of hate-motivated incidents against multiple individuals based on their gender, race and religion,” said District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg. “No one should have to fear for their safety because of their identity. »
The series of attacks reportedly began in September. On the 20th of last year, when Stora walked past a 17-year-old white student at Chelsea and allegedly elbowed him in the neck and said, “You think you can do whatever you want,” said the prosecutor’s office. A liberation.
Then, the October morning. On January 26, a 37-year-old woman described as “light-skinned” walked past Stora in Chelsea and, as she walked past, he elbowed her in the left shoulder, causing pain and discomfort. bruising, officials said.
A month later, in November. On December 18, a white Jewish couple was walking their dogs in Union Square when the couple’s 28-year-old wife saw Stora tearing up posters about kidnapped Israeli hostages and took a photo of him.
Stora noticed the couple looking at him, began following them and allegedly shouted “anti-white and anti-Semitic remarks,” including “F—- you white boy.”
A woman invited the couple to her apartment so they could get away from Stora, who allegedly followed them into the building’s lobby shouting, “Die, Jews, die!” “” prosecutors said.
His series of attacks are apparently linked to the attack on the woman who posted on TikTok. Stora was arrested two days later in connection with the latter incident and had pleaded not guilty in the case.
He was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to hate crime charges. Stora is representing himself in court, according to court records. His next hearing is scheduled for August. 6.
Stora has been running for public office in New York since 2021 and participated in a New York City mayoral debate in 2021, NBC News previously reported citing public records. In 2022, he filed a handwritten petition to be placed on the New York governor’s ballot. Last year, records show, Stora ran for the District 9 seat on the New York City Council.