A lawyer for the New York City hospital ‘Karen’ claims they have receipts to prove she paid for the Citi Bike at the center of a viral dispute. The video shows the employee arguing with a group of young Black men who accused her of taking the bike from one of them.
RELATED: Bellevue Hospital Confirms ‘Karen’ Employee Will ‘Remain On Leave Pending A Review’ Following Bike Incident
Attorney Justin Marino told the New York Post on Wednesday that the Bellevue Hospital employee was the first to rent the bike. Neither the woman’s employer, Bellevue Hospital, nor the lawyer revealed the accused provider’s name. However, people online and blog posts have allegedly identified her as internal medicine physician Sarah Jane Comrie.
NYC Hospital ‘Karen’ Has Receipts To Prove Citi Bike Was Hers, Attorney Says
Marino reportedly provided two Citi Bike receipts dated May 12 and timestamped within minutes of the other.
The attorney used the receipts to dispel notions that his client, who is white, was racist based on the interaction in the viral video.
“[The employee has treated] literally thousands of New York City residents of all backgrounds/ethnicities,” Marino told The Post. “Simply, her entire life has been focused on helping others, irrespective of their background.”
The Post, who reviewed the receipts, reported the first receipt was connected to the bike the female employee refused to give up. Meanwhile, the second receipt was connected to the bike she later took.
“One or more individuals in that group physically pushed her bike (with her on it) back into the docking station, causing it to re-lock,” Marino said.
The first receipt shows the bike was removed from the dock before being re-locked one minute later.
Attorney: Second Receipt Shows Bike Was Rented Again By Hospital Worker A Moment After Re-Lock
As mentioned, the second receipt allegedly reflects the second bike the pregnant employee rented a minute later from the same docking station. That was the same bike Marino said his client used to get home.
He added she was “heckled and pressured to find a new bike” by several young Black males.
The Shade Room reported that the employee, who is six months pregnant, according to Marino, was placed on leave earlier this week. Her work suspension on Tuesday came just days after her heated confrontation with the men Saturday. It’s unclear now whether this new evidence will affect her employment status.
Bellevue Hospital confirms that the 'Karen' employee in the bike incident is on leave, but they didn't specify who initiated it—them or the pregnant provider.https://t.co/C5STe3bC5U
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 17, 2023
The Video Clip: “Get Off Me, You’re Hurting My Fetus” Pregnant Hospital Worker Says
Online users have viewed the nearly 90-second-long clip tens of millions of times as of the publication of this article. The woman was seen dressed in hospital-branded scrubs screaming for help as she tugged at the bike.
“Help! Help me! Please, help me,” she yelled.
One of the young men was holding the handlebars and could repeatedly be heard telling her he had already paid for the bike.
RELATED: White Tears? Bellevue Hospital Reacts To Video Of Employee ‘Crying’ While Trying To Snatch ‘Reserved’ & Bike From Black Male
“Get off me! Get off me, you’re hurting my fetus,” the woman shouted while pushing the man away.
The man replied: “I’m not touching you! You’re putting your stomach on my hand.” After another man dressed in hospital scrubs approached the scuffle, the employee appeared to start crying.
The hospital worker was almost immediately dragged on social media and deemed racist for the interaction.
Some compared her to the “Central Park Karen” Amy Cooper, who called the police on a black birdwatcher in 2020 and lost her job over it, The Shade Room reported.
“Karen” Purchased Citi Bike With The App On Her Cell Phone Before The Five Young Men Confronted Her
Meanwhile, Marino says the interaction clip is “incomplete,” according to the Post. He added she left work following a 12-hour shift and took a bicycle “which no individuals were on or touching.”
She allegedly paid for it through the Citi Bike app on her phone before backing it up from the docking station. As she did, five people reportedly confronted her and claimed the bike was theirs, he told the outlet.
After allegedly causing the bike to re-lock, one of the individuals reportedly covered the bike’s QR code.
“In blocking the QR code, this individual’s arm was touching my client’s pregnant stomach, a condition of which she had made them aware,” he added. “Throughout this time and for the remainder of the video, roughly five individuals were telling her to get off the bike and heckling her.”
Marino says it was tragic how the young males treated the employee, “especially a visibly pregnant woman.” He noted that the NYPD received no 911 calls regarding the incident.
Here's what Bellevue Hospital had to say about their employee's behavior: https://t.co/lTNQhATpOA https://t.co/A7dxd3Sto2
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 15, 2023
