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"SoHo Karen" Who Falsely Accused Black Teen Of Theft Now In California Sheriff's Custody, NYPD Awaits Extradition
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 8, 2021
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NYPD handout
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 8, 2021
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The woman seen in a viral video falsely claiming that a Black teenager stole her iPhone (when she had actually left it in an Uber) and then tackling the boy inside of a hotel in Manhattan has now been arrested in California.
22-year-old Miya Ponsetto, a Simi Valley, CA resident, was apprehended on Thursday and is being held without bail as she will be extradited to New York City to face charges.
Jazz musician Keyon Harrold shared video of the incident from December 26th, 2020 at the Arlo Hotel in SoHo, showing a young woman demanding the iPhone of Harrold's 14-year-old son, Keyon Harrold Jr., insisting that he stole it. The father pointed out he and his son just got out of an elevator, "Are you kidding me? You feel like there’s only one iPhone made in the world?"
The woman also enlisted an Arlo manager, who asks Keyon Jr. for the iPhone, prompting Harrold to tell his son not to give it to him. Then the woman tackles the boy in an attempt to get the phone.
An Uber driver apparently later found the woman's phone and returned it to her.
On December 30th, 2020, the NYPD released video showing the woman tackling Keyon Jr. and asked for the public's help in locating her.
The woman in the video was quickly identified as Ponsetto. According to reports, officers from the Ventura County Sheriff's office and NYPD were pursuing her on a fugitive warrant and tried to pull her over near her home, but she slammed a door on a deputy's leg while being taken out of her car.
Sharen Ghatan, Ponsetto's attorney, told TMZ on Thursday that she did not know her client had been arrested, but said, "Miya has not grasped the severity of her circumstances. She is expressly disregarding advice and has gone rogue... I had an in-person meeting with Miya today, and after seeing her in person, I was able to determine she is simply unwell. She is emotionally and mentally fragile. I was forced to cancel national interviews due to my concern of her wellbeing and lack of understanding of the process. I am here to guide her as legal counsel — but if she is unwilling to take my advice, there is not much more I can do."
In an interview with the NY Times, Ghatan claimed that Ponsetto did not target Keyon Jr. because he was Black: "She’s not trying to make any racial statement... She’s a female herself of mixed cultural descent. She’s not some blond-haired, blue eyed privileged white lady. She literally just wanted to get her phone back."
Harrold spoke at a press conference with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and the Rev. Al Shaprton about the incident. "I want my son to grow up whole,” he said. “I can't even come downstairs in New York City, New York City, and just go get brunch without being attacked and wrongfully accused of something.”
Tagged
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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