Two aspiring social media influencers, one sporting a MAGA hat, are facing hate crime charges after allegedly directing anti-Black remarks at a 54-year-old woman in Chelsea last week, ending with them setting her boots on fire, according to police on Thursday.
Michael A. Santiago, 31, and Michael James, 33, both reside in the same Upper East Side rental unit and have been charged with multiple hate crime offenses including attempted assault and criminal mischief.
The pair, who document their activities on a YouTube channel named “scrubsnyc,” were streaming their reactions to the earlier coverage of the incident from February 19 when they were taken into custody.
Police reported that the incident began around 2:50 p.m. at the intersection of West 26th Street and Seventh Avenue. One of the men approached the victim, attempted to engage her in conversation, and then leaned in for a kiss.
The woman reportedly pushed him away, but both men then attempted to impede her exit, using a smartphone tripod and bombarding her with racist remarks.
Police indicated that the individual dressed in pro-Trump apparel used a lighter to ignite her boots, an act documented by an accomplice.
Their YouTube channel portrays them as “IP2” streamers, asserting they mimic the 1960s Italian avant-garde movement known as Arte Povera, which translates to “poor art.”
Prior to their arrest, they had been seen Wednesday night harassing bystanders with racial slurs and vulgar comments.
The duo has had previous encounters with law enforcement during prior streams, demonstrating a pattern of similar behavior.
As of Thursday afternoon, their arraignments were expected to take place in Manhattan Criminal Court, according to prosecutors.
