A New York City health worker was placed on leave after she falsely accused a Black man of bike theft, authorities confirmed.
The Bellevue Hospital employee was caught on camera attempting to hijack a CitiBike that a Black man had already paid for, according to reports.
The video of the “disturbing” encounter between the woman and the Black man was widely shared on social media on Saturday, after which the hospital took action and placed her on leave.
“We are aware of the video involving a healthcare 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 on Tuesday.
“The provider is currently out on leave and will remain on leave pending a review,” the statement added.
“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 health worker – who was labelled “Karen” by commentators online – was seen in the video wearing hospital scrubs and tugging at the Citibike, screaming: “Help! Help me! Please, help me.”
Karen is a derogatory name for white women who exhibit a lack of self-awareness and entitlement. The woman’s name was not revealed by the authorities.
The video shared on social media garnered as many as 40 million views at the time of writing.
The young Black man calmly kept his grip on the bike’s handlebars and repeatedly told the woman that he already paid to use that bike.
“Get off me! Get off me, you’re hurting my fetus,” the woman shouted, pushing and shoving the man.
“I’m not touching you! You’re putting your stomach on my hand,” the man responded.
“This is my bike, it’s on my account. Please move,” he said.
A coworker of the woman also asked her to use another bike.
The woman also cried uncontrollably in the video but was told by the Black man’s friends who were filming the incident to stop “fake crying”.
A spokesperson for the Deputy Commissioner Public Information (DCPI) told the New York Post that “the NYPD is aware of the video circulating online but nothing was reported”.