STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A 34-year-old Staten Island woman was arrested on hate crime charges in connection with a series of incidents allegedly targeting Muslims in Brooklyn that prompted condemnation from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
A 12-year-old girl was one of the victims in the incidents, which occurred within minutes of each other on the afternoon of Jan. 30 in Bay Ridge, according to police.
Megan Horne, of Crystal Avenue in Willowbrook, was arrested on Wednesday and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday in Criminal Court in Brooklyn, according to police and public records.
“I am outraged by the despicable, cowardly attacks against Muslim New Yorkers in Bay Ridge last week — one of which was on a 12-year-old girl,“ the mayor posted around 8 p.m. Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter. ”This violence is unacceptable, and we know that all too often visibly Muslim, hijab-wearing women and girls bear the brunt of it.
“Muslim New Yorkers deserve to live with safety and dignity, and to be able to walk our streets free from harassment, threats, or harm. Islamophobia has no place in our city, and violence or intimidation against Muslim New Yorkers is unacceptable.”
The episode began when Horne allegedly made anti-Muslim remarks and pushed and kicked a 33-year-old woman at about 2:25 p.m. on the 8900 block of 5th Avenue, according to a statement from the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
At about 2:33 p.m., a 39-year-old woman was attempting to board an MTA B53 bus on the 500 block of 92nd Street when she was pushed from behind by the defendant, police allege.
The third incident happened at 2:36 p.m. when Horne allegedly approached a 12-year-old girl near Fort Hamilton Parkway and 92nd Street. The defendant allegedly struck the girl in the face, according to the police statement.
All three victims declined medical treatment.
The victims and the defendant were strangers, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
Police charged Horne with assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment as a hate crime, acting in a manner injurious to a child and assault.
An attorney for the defendant was not yet listed in public records at the time of publication.