“Absolutely awful”: Internet reacts to a woman hitting a cellist with a metal bottle over the head in NYC subway station

On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, a cellist was hit by a woman who smacked him in the back of his head with his metal water bottle, in an NYC subway station. Shocking video shows the incident occurring in the 34th Street-Herald Square station in New York City at around 5:45 pm.

As per CBS News, the man was identified as 29-year-old Iain Forrest. He was sitting on a stool playing his cello when the assailant approached him out of nowhere and assaulted him.

The busker was left holding the back of his head in pain after the sudden attack and has decided to stop busking in NYC subway stations indefinitely. The NYPD has released more surveillance footage and is on the lookout for the woman. Netizens were left outraged as they shared their opinions on the viral video.

---

A woman hits a cellist over the head with metal water bottle in NYC subway station

On Tuesday, Iain Forrest was performing at the Midtown transit hub in the 34th Street-Herald Square station when a stranger attacked him. The cellist had his back to the escalators as he played his instrument around his portable set-up.

The unidentified woman was seen walking up from his right side as she picked up the cellist's metal water bottle and smacked him in the back of his head. Iain took a second to realize what happened and was seen holding his head, seemingly in pain, while still holding the cello in his other hand. According to NBC, the attacker then callously stormed off without saying a word.

The woman wore a red scarf around her neck and a black cap, dressed in layers with black boots on and holding a couple of bags. The assailant was captured in surveillance cameras and the NYPD released a video on Saturday, showing the woman exiting the station. Forrest talked about the incident on social media saying:

"Yesterday, I was attacked in the NYC subway. At 5:50 pm on February 13th, while performing at 34th St Herald Square station, a woman wearing a mustard jacket, red scarf, and gloves assaulted me by smashing the back of my head with my metal water bottle."

As reported by The New York Post, the cellist added that the assault from the woman was the second one he has endured in less than a year of performing in Big Apple subway stations. Iain revealed that he was suspending his performances. He stated:

"She fled the station, shedding her outer clothes, and escaped into the nearby Macy’s, where NYPD were unable to locate her. We urgently need your help. Please share this post and video to help identify her before she harms me or others again. I don’t think I can do this anymore. I’m suspending subway performances indefinitely."

The video has since gone viral with at least 11 million views and 11,000 shares on X at the time of writing this article. Social media users were appalled by the attack and also raised concerns for the cellist under his post. Some of the reactions are given below:

The woman has not been found as of now. NYPD is actively looking for the woman and has put in a $3,500 reward.

As per CBS, anyone with information has been asked by the New York City police to contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Good samaritans can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on X @NYPDTips.