Bethenny Frankel Says She Was Randomly Attacked amid 'Insane' N.Y.C. Punching Trend

Published on March 28, 2024 12:57AM EDT

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Bethenny Frankel says she was randomly attacked a few months ago in New York City. Her revelation came amid a slew of similar disturbing acts of violence shared by other women in Manhattan this week.

On Wednesday, the former Real Housewives of New York star left the comment in a TikTok video posted by a fashion student who said that she was walking home when a random man punched her.

"This is insane [because] this happened to me a few months ago but I was embarrassed to say," Frankel, 53, wrote in the comments section. "I was on the UWS [Upper West Side]. Insane. I was taking video of a bakery."

Frankel's comment was later deleted. Page Six took a screenshot of the comment before it was removed from TikTok.

PEOPLE has reached out to Frankel's reps regarding her now-deleted response.

Other New York women have posted about similar attacks on social media in recent days. It was not known if the attacks were related, a police spokesperson told USA Today Wednesday.

On Wednesday night, the New York Police Department arrested a man they said was involved in at least one of the attacks.

"The NYPD is aware of a viral video circulating on social media depicting a woman who was randomly assaulted in an unprovoked attack," the NYPD posted on their official X, formerly Twitter, account. "The individual has been arrested and charged and is a criminal recidivist with an extensive criminal record."

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"Your NYPD detectives were able to identify the man after he was previously arrested for similar attacks, only to be released back onto our streets. This incident will be his third arrest in the past six months," the post continued. "Your officers will continue to remain resilient in their efforts to stop violent criminals, ensuring the safety of our communities."

Frankel herself was not in New York City when many of the women's stories were posted; she has been in Australia for the last couple weeks on a speaking tour where she traveled with her daughter, Bryn.

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