The Bellevue Hospital employee was seen on video allegedly attempting to hijack a Citi Bike that a black man claimed he had already paid for has been placed on leave, NYC Health + Hospitals confirmed to The Post.
A clip of the explosive encounter has raked in more than 40 million views on social media after it was shared on Twitter on Saturday, with the health care network labeling it “disturbing.”
The woman’s lawyer has since produced a Citi Bike receipt showing she checked out a bike that was checked back in within one minute on the evening of May 12.
“We are aware of the video involving a health care provider off duty and away from the hospital campus. The incident in the video is disturbing,” a spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals said in a statement Tuesday.
“The provider is currently out on leave and will remain on leave pending a review,” the statement continued. The woman has denied wrongdoing.
“As a health system we are committed to providing an environment for our patients and staff that is free from discrimination of any kind.”
The video, which starts mid-confrontation, shows the woman dressed in hospital-branded scrubs screaming for help as she tugs at the bike.
“Help! Help me! Please, help me,” she yells.
The young man calmly keeps his grip on the bike’s handlebars and repeatedly tells the woman, who is white, that he already paid to use that particular bike.
The hospital employee has been placed on leave, NYC Health + Hospitals said. Imposter_Edits/Twitter“Get off me! Get off me, you’re hurting my fetus,” the woman then exclaims while pushing and shoving the man.
“I’m not touching you! You’re putting your stomach on my hand,” the man retorts as she continues to cry out for help.
The biker makes no attempts at shoving the woman back but holds his ground as he and his group of friends tell her to back off and get her own bike.
The woman shoves and pushes at the young man, who tells her he already paid to use the bike she is trying to take, which she disputes. Imposter_Edits/TwitterAbout halfway through the nearly two-minute clip, the woman appears to start crying theatrically as a white man wearing the same NYC Health + Hospital scrubs approaches the group to ask what is going on.
As the apparent co-worker of the woman tries to step in, the young man on the bike makes a final appeal to the woman.
“This is my bike, it’s on my account. Please move,” he says.
The cyclist’s friends who are filming the confrontation then accuse the woman of fake crying, as the other hospital worker tells the woman to take another bike.
An apparent co-worker comes over to try to defuse the situation. Imposter_Edits/Twitter
The woman appeas to cry while trying to take the bike. Imposter_Edits/TwitterOnce the co-worker makes the suggestion, the woman is suddenly calm and begins setting up a nearby bike for use.
Through a lawyer, the woman has claimed that the video does not show the whole story. She claims that after she paid for the bike on the Citi Bike app, she was approached by a group of about five individuals who said the bike was theirs. She alleges that one or more of the individuals pushed the bike back into the docking station, causing it to re-lock and then prevented her from paying for it again.
The bewildering encounter exploded online, with critics calling the unknown provider a “Karen.”
A DCPI spokesperson told The Post that the NYPD is aware of the video circulating online but nothing was reported.
“There are currently no 911 calls or reports on file for this incident,” the spokesperson said.
“The NYPD encourages anyone who believes they were a victim of a crime to come forward and report it at any police facility so that an investigation can commence.”
Social media users were quick to criticize “Citi Bike Karen” for her alleged treatment of the young black man. Imposter_Edits/TwitterThe name of the employee has not yet been confirmed by officials.
NYC Health + Hospitals also addressed the incident on social media Sunday, confirming that the company is reviewing the incident.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect new information that has emerged.
