Alana Lambert, a model and YouTuber, was biking with a friend in New York City’s Central Park with her camera brought along to record their adventure. But the pair’s day was eventually turned upside down when they came across a fellow biker who took one of their phone chargers and refused to give it back.
The unnamed woman, now given the name “New Central Park Karen,” also called police, falsely claiming the women were trying to assault her all while her lies were being recorded. Now considered to be a hate crime in New York, she could face criminal charges over the harassment.
Lambert uploaded the now-viral video to YouTube on Thursday, May 6. It starts off with the two Black female friends having a day out in the city, riding the subway and heading to Central Park. The video then cuts to the scene with the “New Central Park Karen.”
“Can I just have it back, please?” Lambert’s friend asked the bigoted woman in the video. Speaking to Lambert, she continued “I definitely have a video with it on, but she’s not going to give it back even if we show her.”
While on the phone with local police and speaking through a heavy accent, the unnamed woman lied to authorities, saying “They’re going to beat me.” She also confirmed to dispatchers that their location was Central Park while walking away from their camera.
At one point during the video, one of the two women flat-out ask her “Are you racist or something?” to which she boldly replied, “Yes I am. I defend my race to any race. What’s your problem?”
Related Post: ‘SoHo Karen’ Miya Ponsetto Cuts Off Judge, Complains She Doesn’t Want Jail Time
Yelling and continuing her false accusations, she claimed to dispatchers “They’re getting so close to me and they’re already touching me!” After Lambert and her friend told her the charger wasn’t hers, she shot back “It not yours either! It’s not yours! You have to prove it. I’m not saying I’m not going to give it to you. You have to prove that this is yours!”
Arriving at the scene moments later, police heard the situation from the two victims and ordered her to return the charger. But due to a recent change in New York laws, the story might just be beginning for the “New Central Park Karen.”
Last year’s incident involving Amy Cooper falsely calling and weaponizing the police against Christian Cooper, a Black bird watcher, made national news. According to the Daily Mail, the original “Central Park Karen’s” actions led to false 911 calls being labeled a hate crime in New York.
Considered a felony in the state of New York, hate crimes often carry sentences of over 20 years.
