CHELSEA, Manhattan — Two men were arrested Wednesday after allegedly harassing a woman in Chelsea, directing racist comments at her and setting her boots on fire, according to police.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred last Thursday at West 26th Street and Seventh Avenue. Authorities said the 54-year-old woman was approached by two men, including one who was wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat.<\/p>\n
According to police, one of the men attempted to kiss the woman. When she pushed him away, he allegedly began making anti-Black statements toward her while the second man recorded the encounter on a cellphone for YouTube.<\/p>\n
Police said one of the suspects then pulled out a lighter and set the woman’s boots on fire. She was not physically injured, but her boots , valued at $89, were destroyed.<\/p>\n
The two men later posted videos about the incident on their “scrubsnyc” YouTube page, including a clip of themselves reading a New York Post article about the alleged assault.<\/p>\n
The men were filming themselves walking through Midtown Manhattan, harassing pedestrians and taunting police officers, before they were taken into custody near Bryant Park.<\/p>\n
They were identified as 31-year-old Michael Santiago and 33-year-old Michael James, both of Manhattan.<\/p>\n
Santiago and James are both charged with attempted assault – hate crime, criminal mischief – hate crime, three counts of aggravated harassment, attempted assault, menacing – hate crime, arson, menacing, and criminal tampering.<\/p>\n
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