{"id":146937,"date":"2026-02-27T02:47:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T02:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/146937\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T02:47:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T02:47:53","slug":"maga-social-media-trolls-arrested-for-setting-black-womans-boots-on-fire-in-nyc-hate-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/146937\/","title":{"rendered":"MAGA social media trolls arrested for setting Black woman’s boots on fire in NYC hate crime"},"content":{"rendered":"

A pair of social media trolls \u00a0\u2014 including one who sports a \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d red hat\u00a0 \u2014\u00a0 have been arrested for trying to light a Black woman\u2019s boots on fire during a clash on a Manhattan street filled with racist insults, police<\/a> said Thursday.<\/p>\n

The demented duo, known online as \u201cScrubsNYC,<\/a>\u201d were nabbed late Wednesday, just a few hours after cops released their images and asked the public\u2019s help tracking them down. They were wanted for a bizarre hate crime at W. 26th St. and Seventh Ave. in Chelsea on Feb. 19.<\/p>\n

Michael Santiago, 31, and Michael James, 33, were hit with a slew of charges including attempted assault, criminal mischief and menacing, all as hate crimes, as well as aggravated harassment, arson and criminal tampering. The two suspects live in the same apartment building on the Upper East Side, according to cops.<\/p>\n

\"CopsThe pair, known online as “ScrubsNYC” were arrested late Wednesday, just a few hours after cops released their images in connection with a reported hate crime on W. 26th St. and Seventh Ave. in Chelsea on Feb. 19. (NYPD)<\/p>\n

The two approached the 54-year-old victim at about 2:50 p.m. and were chatting her up when the provacateur in the MAGA hat began spewing a racist tirade that was caught on camera and posted online<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to f\u2014 you right up your n\u2014\u2013 a\u2013,\u201d the man in the MAGA hat screamed. \u201cI want to f\u2014 a slave. You\u2019re my slave. You\u2019re my slave.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman casually pulled out her own phone and began recording the creeps, throwing insults right back at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you do,\u201d she said of their comments about bedding her. \u201cI could never \u2019cause you\u2019re a slave \u2014 you\u2019re a slave to my Blackness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The suspect told the woman, \u201ckiss me,\u201d and she replied saying she \u201cwould never.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s your bitch, not me,\u201d the woman said casually, motioning to the camera man recording the entire exchange.<\/p>\n

\"Cops<\/p>\n

NYPD<\/p>\n

The pair, known online as “ScrubsNYC” were arrested late Wednesday, just a few hours after cops released their images in connection with a reported hate crime on W. 26th St. and Seventh Ave. in Chelsea on Feb. 19. (NYPD)<\/p>\n

At one point, one of the provacateurs asked to kiss the victim\u2019s pair of boots. She agreed, but when he knelt down he set one of her boots on fire with a hand-held blowtorch.<\/p>\n

The hair on the boots were singed but the flames quickly petered out, the video shows. Cops say the $89 pair of boots were ruined.<\/p>\n

The woman didn\u2019t appear to notice as she continued to trade insults with the creep.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just burned your boot,\u201d the provocateur said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you did,\u201d the victim replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to impregnate you, let\u2019s f\u2014,\u201d the MAGA hat sporting suspect said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you want to impregnate me and contaminate my race,\u201d she replied. \u201cYour mother\u2019s a f\u2014\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Barry Williams\/ New York Daily News<\/p>\n

Michael James in custody outside the Midtown South Precinct stationhouse on Thursday. (Barry Williams\/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

The victim reported the incident to police after she realized her $89 boots were damaged. She also gave cops images of the two suspects from her recording of the bizarre exchange.<\/p>\n

Scrubsnyc are a pair of internet trolls who livestream videos of themselves appearing to harass everyday New Yorkers, provoking outrage, and often finding themselves being thrown out of apartment buildings, bodegas and other establishments.<\/p>\n

For both suspects, the Thursday arrests were their first run-in with the law, cops said.<\/p>\n

In one of their online videos, the cameraman boasts that his on-camera counterpart is the \u201cbiggest streamer in New York right now.\u201d But the duo has about 1,670 subscribers on YouTube<\/a>, 1,400 followers on Kick<\/a> and just 295 followers on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One video shows the pair lying in traffic and angering strangers with their bizarre rants.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, right here bro! Do something!\u201d one angered resident screams at them on the sidewalk in one clip. \u201cDo something! Then don\u2019t f\u2014ing run your mouth! Get the f\u2014 out of here!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Barry Williams\/ New York Daily News<\/p>\n

Michael Santiago in custody outside the Midtown South Precinct stationhouse on Thursday. (Barry Williams\/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

In one quick clip, a bodega patron throws a drink at him. In another, a woman knocks the MAGA cap off of the one provocateur\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey tell you that the city never sleeps,\u201d Scrubsnyc wrote in the opening of one video. \u201cBut they don\u2019t tell you about the ones who keep it awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

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