A New York woman dubbed 'Citi Bike Karen' has seen herself accused of hijacking a rental bike from a young black man after a viral video surfaced that appears to show her yelling for help and crying after a tussle with the group.
But she is fighting back against what her lawyer calls a "shameful" painting of her as a "racist villain", and the incident has divided observers.
The woman, identified as Sarah Comrie, 36, a hospital worker, who is pregnant, was accused of "faking" her tears in the confrontation with the young Black men and playing on racist tropes of Black men threatening white women.
The video shows the encounter with a group of men who claim in the footage that they paid for the bike she was on at the docking station and that her tears were fake.
Meanwhile, her lawyer has revealed receipts which he says prove that the bike was indeed Ms Comrie's and she is trying to clear her name.
A GoFundMe page to help Ms Comrie has since been set up; pleading with people to help pay for her legal bills “to save her livelihood and her reputation.”
Here's everything we know about the incident so far.
The video goes viral
A roughly 90-second video of the incident was posted on TikTok and Twitter quickly went viral and shows Ms Comrie arguing with the man outside of Bellevue over the weekend.
Pregnant Ms Comrie reportedly had just finished a 12-hour shift before getting on an available bike which "no individuals were on or touching" and paid through the app - before being questioned by the men.
Ms Comrie then tells the man that he's "hurting my unborn baby," to which the man replies: "You put your stomach on my hand."
The man tries to explain "this is my bike, it's on my account" and tells the woman to "please move."
Ms Comrie, who had on blue scrubs with a NYC Health + Hospitals on, could be seen screaming for help and tearing up as a crowd gathered.
The woman was branded a 'Karen' by social media users; a 'Karen' is a derogatory term for a white woman with an outsized sense of entitlement.
Many were shocked by the footage, one person said: "Not a hospital worker behaving like this".
Others ran to her aid, saying she clearly meant them no harm.
The incident was quickly compared to a 2020 incident in which 'Central Park Karen' Amy Cooper falsely told the police a Black birdwatcher tried to assault her when he confronted her about breaking park rules.
Hits out at accusations of 'racism'
Justin Marino, a lawyer for Sarah Comrie argued that the bike in question did belong to his client originally.
Receipts from the May 12 encounter sent to The Post appear to show a serial number matching the bike pictured in the video.
The receipts capture Ms Comrie checking out the bike, then docking it a minute later, without paying a charge.
Mr Marino told The Independent: “Can you tell me one pregnant woman that would ever try to commandeer and steal a bike from young men? Do you think that would ever happen?
“This matter is shocking in that you literally have someone who, with her colleagues, saves lives on a daily basis, including throughout the pandemic, and within a matter of roughly a minute of a video, she is suddenly a racist villain.
“That’s shameful.”
Mr Marino said his client was forced to get a second Citi Bike after being "heckled and pressured" to do so.
GoFundMe set up to 'save reputation'
A GoFundMe page to help Ms Comrie is pleading with people to help pay for her legal bills “to save her livelihood and her reputation.”
Started by Ms Comrie’s uncle, the fundraiser calls the incident has “unfairly painted [Comrie] as a racist ‘Karen.’”
“The facts have since proven this is a lie, but the damage has been done,” the fundraiser states.
“In fact, Sarah is a dedicated healthcare worker who is six months pregnant. She holds racial justice and equity dear, and has dedicated her life to serving NYC’s most challenged individuals.”
“She does not wish to become a cause celebre, but the legal bills to save her livelihood and her reputation obviously are mounting,” the fundraiser also stated.
What her workplace has said
Meanwhile, Bellevue Hospital said in a statement it is investigating the incident.
They said: "We have recently become aware of an incident that occurred off campus over the weekend and appears to involve one of our employees.
"We are sorry this happened, and we are reviewing the incident."
The hospital added that it is "committed to providing the highest quality of care to all New Yorkers with dignity, cultural sensitivity and compassion."
What happens next
A spokesperson for the New York Police Department said it did not receive any 911 calls or reports about the incident, but is aware of the video.
Ms Comrie was put on leave from Bellevue, from her role as a physician’s assistant, earlier this week, pending an investigation.
They will review the footage and discuss the incident with Ms Comrie to establish if they need to take further action.
