Inside the legal loopholes, broken bail system, and NYPD failures that are allowing violent, unprovoked assaults—especially against women—to go unpunished in plain sight.
I was the victim of a random, unprovoked attack on the streets of New York City in August 2024.
It happened just after midnight, outside my office building in Hudson Square. The streets were quiet. I had just finished my shift and was walking toward the subway station—something I had done countless times before—when a man I didn’t know came charging up behind me. Within seconds, he grabbed a fistful of my hair and slammed me backward onto the pavement.
There was no warning. No confrontation. Just the raw force of impact.
I hit the ground hard—my body crashing against the concrete, my elbow landing squarely on one of the sharp metal spikes of a tree guard. At first, I didn’t even feel the pain. I jumped to my feet in a daze, heart racing, trying to understand what had just happened. The man had already vanished around the corner, leaving me in shock.
I screamed for help, and a few people nearby—workers from a restaurant that was closing up—rushed over to me. One of them reached me, took one look, and said urgently, “You’re bleeding—badly.”
The adrenaline wore off fast. That metal spike had torn through my elbow—exposing the bone. Blood streamed down my arm. I was rushed to the hospital by paramedics who told me bluntly: “This is bad.”
I was left with a severe concussion, deep bruising, and a deep laceration that required stitches and follow-up care. But when I began navigating the legal aftermath, I quickly discovered what countless other victims are now learning: because my attacker didn’t use a weapon, it wouldn’t have been considered a felony—even if he had been caught. He wasn’t. To this day, my attacker remains unidentified and free.
It didn’t matter that I was nearly knocked unconscious. It didn’t matter that I required medical intervention. It didn’t matter that I was targeted without reason, and that the attack was physically and psychologically devastating.
Under New York law, it was a misdemeanor.
And my story isn’t rare. In the months since my assault, I’ve been interviewing other survivors of unprovoked street attacks across the city—women blindsided by strangers, thrown into walls, slammed to the pavement, punched in the face—and in nearly every single case, there was no weapon involved.
But the fists, hands, and brute force these attackers used? They did real damage.
And the law—antiquated, rigid, and dangerously out of step with the reality of violence in 2025—is allowing many of these offenders to walk away with little to no consequence.
The Pattern No One Is Connecting: A Rise in Random Violence Against Women
Since my assault in August 2024, I’ve come to realize that my case is not an isolated incident—it’s part of a much larger, deeply disturbing trend that is unfolding across New York City and beyond.
As a journalist, I launched a special investigative reporting series on my podcast, Warrior of Truth, to explore what I sensed was being overlooked: a pattern of random, unprovoked attacks on women that began spiking post-COVID—and has only worsened since March 2024.
These aren’t muggings. They’re not sexual assaults. There’s no robbery, no argument, no provocation.
Just sudden, violent attacks—often in public, in broad daylight, on women simply going about their daily lives.
Victims are punched, shoved, slammed into walls or concrete, kicked, or struck with objects. And in most cases, the perpetrator walks away moments later with no explanation, no follow-up, and no consequence.
The media sometimes reports on these incidents when they happen—if the injuries are severe enough or caught on video—but then they vanish from the news cycle. What’s missing is someone connecting the dots, compiling these seemingly unrelated events into the bigger picture of what’s actually happening.
And what’s happening is alarming.
Through dozens of survivor interviews and extensive independent research, I’ve found that these assaults are not just limited to NYC—they are happening across the country. Women from cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. have shared eerily similar stories: walking home from work, riding public transit, exiting a store—and suddenly being attacked by a stranger. No warning. No motive.
And the perpetrators? They don’t fit one profile. They vary in race, age, and background. This isn’t a “type.” It’s a trend.
This wave of seemingly senseless violence raises urgent questions:
- Is it linked to post-pandemic mental health collapse?
- Is it part of gang initiations or ritualized street crime?
- Are social and economic breakdowns contributing to a kind of public collapse in empathy?
- Or are these attacks being driven by something even more organized and covert?
But perhaps the most disturbing question of all is: Why is law enforcement not responding with urgency?
Many of the women I’ve interviewed said police officers refused to file proper reports, downplayed their injuries, or provided no follow-up.
This breakdown in police response is not theoretical—it’s happening in real time to women across the city. In my Warrior of Truth podcast series, I interviewed Allyson, who was assaulted by a mentally ill woman on the streets of NYC in September 2021. When she went to the NYPD, officers told her they don’t investigate misdemeanor harassment cases. No report. No investigation. Just silence. Allyson’s story is one of many I’ve heard that exposes a disturbing pattern: police are increasingly refusing to engage with so-called “minor” assaults, leaving victims without justice and emboldening offenders.
Allyson’s experience isn’t unique—and neither is the NYPD’s lack of response. I also spoke with Nikki, who was attacked by a mentally ill woman while crossing a busy Brooklyn street early one morning in June 2024. The assault left her with a severe eye injury, and despite presenting clear evidence that her assailant had targeted others in the same neighborhood, police failed to act. No investigation. No accountability. Just another survivor dismissed by a system that too often looks the other way.
Nikki’s story isn’t the end of the pattern—it’s just the continuation. Jossana was randomly punched in the face by a woman during a visit to Luna Park in Coney Island in the summer of 2023. The assault was unprovoked, and the aftermath has been devastating: she now suffers from seizures as a result of the trauma. Even more disturbing is what followed. Jossana made six 911 calls—first to report the assault, then to alert police that her attacker was still in the park. But no officers ever arrived, and to this day, no investigation has been conducted. Her story is a harrowing reminder that for many women, it’s not just the attack that breaks you—it’s the system’s refusal to respond.
There’s also an alarming disconnect between official crime statistics and the reality on the ground. What victims are experiencing doesn’t match what city officials are reporting. I’ve uncovered discrepancies in NYC crime data that suggest a possible effort to manipulate public perception—creating the illusion of safety while the streets become more dangerous by the day.
And when unprovoked attacks on women are treated as minor news items—covered once, briefly, then forgotten—the cycle only continues.
This isn’t just a media failure. It’s a public safety crisis. And it’s being buried.
My goal with this investigation is not just to document these incidents but to force visibility—to advocate for:
- Transparent reporting
- Stronger protections for victims
- Mental health resources for violent offenders
- Legislative reform that acknowledges the danger of unarmed but serious assault
- And media responsibility in sustaining attention on these cases
Most importantly, I want to connect the dots no one else is willing to connect—because if we don’t recognize the pattern, the violence will never be stopped.
This is no longer about individual assaults. This is a public epidemic. And it’s time we treat it like one.
This growing epidemic of random, unprovoked violence—especially against women—demands urgent legal and systemic response. And while the scope of the issue is national, New York State serves as a critical flashpoint, not only because of the volume of these attacks, but because of how its outdated legal framework continues to fail victims. To understand why so many of these assaults are being minimized or dismissed, we need to look closely at the state’s criminal classification system—where the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor can mean the difference between justice served… or justice denied.
Felony vs. Misdemeanor: What the Law Actually Says in New York State
In New York State, the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor is more than just a matter of semantics—it determines the seriousness of the charge, the punishment, and often the trajectory of justice for the victim. This distinction becomes especially problematic when it comes to cases of physical assault where no traditional weapon is used.
Under New York criminal law, crimes are categorized primarily into three tiers: violations, misdemeanors, and felonies.
- Violations are non-criminal infractions (like disorderly conduct).
- Misdemeanors are criminal offenses punishable by up to 364 days in jail, and often include offenses like petty theft, certain harassment charges, and Assault in the Third Degree.
- Felonies, on the other hand, are serious crimes that carry a minimum of one year in state prison, with penalties ranging up to 25 years or more depending on the classification and severity.
Felonies are divided into classes: A (most serious) through E (least serious). Assault can fall into these categories depending on a number of factors—chiefly the severity of injury, the presence or absence of a weapon, and intent.
Misdemeanor Assault (Assault in the Third Degree – Penal Law § 120.00)
This is the most commonly charged form of assault. It applies when a person:
- Intentionally or recklessly causes “physical injury” to another person;
- Or causes injury through criminal negligence with a weapon.
Key problem: “Physical injury” is defined under the law as impairment of physical condition or substantial pain—a vague standard that allows for prosecutorial discretion, often resulting in undercharging serious cases.
Penalty: Up to 364 days in jail, probation, fines.
Felony Assault (Assault in the Second or First Degree – Penal Law § 120.05 / § 120.10)
These are elevated charges that apply when:
- The injury is classified as a “serious physical injury”, defined as an injury that creates a substantial risk of death or causes long-term impairment or disfigurement;
- A “dangerous instrument” or “deadly weapon” is used;
- Or the victim is a protected class (such as a child, elderly person, police officer, or MTA employee).
Penalties:
- Second-degree assault (Class D Felony): 2–7 years in state prison
- First-degree assault (Class B Felony): 5–25 years in prison
The Loophole: Hands Aren’t Always “Dangerous Instruments”
Here’s the critical problem: in many violent attacks—especially the random street assaults plaguing New York City—offenders use only their fists. The law technically allows for body parts to be considered dangerous instruments, but only when used in a manner capable of causing serious injury, and prosecutors rarely argue this unless the result is catastrophic.
That means if someone punches a woman in the head, causes a concussion, or even fractures a bone, they often will not face felony charges—unless a weapon was used or the injury is deemed “serious” by strict legal definition. This subjective threshold leads to inconsistency and injustice, especially for victims who are seriously harmed without visible weapons being involved.
An Antiquated System Failing Modern Victims
The legal classification of crimes into misdemeanors and felonies in New York State isn’t new—it dates back to 1967, when the state overhauled its criminal code with the enactment of the New York Penal Law, replacing the outdated Penal Code of 1881. At the time, the goal was reform: to modernize, clarify, and create proportionality in how crimes were charged and punished.
But that was over five decades ago.
And while society has changed dramatically—urban violence, mental health crises, a documented rise in random unprovoked assaults—the legal definitions haven’t evolved fast enough to keep up.
Under this still-active system, crimes are categorized into:
- Violations (non-criminal offenses),
- Misdemeanors (punishable by up to 364 days in jail),
- And Felonies (punishable by one year or more in prison).
This framework was designed for clarity. But in practice—especially in assault cases involving no weapon—it creates confusion, loopholes, and injustice.
A fist to the head that causes a concussion? A shove into the pavement that leads to spinal injury? Still often treated as a misdemeanor. Because unless the injury is deemed “serious” by a narrow legal standard—or a weapon was involved—the law hasn’t caught up to the reality of the violence being inflicted.
This isn’t just outdated. It’s antiquated. And dangerous.
When a legal system built in 1967 continues to define and minimize physical violence in 2025, survivors are left to navigate a justice process stuck in a past that never imagined the world we live in now.
It’s time to stop assuming that old legal frameworks still work just because they’ve always been there.
A hand can kill. A fist can disable. And a 1967-era law shouldn’t be the reason a violent attacker walks free.
When a Gun Without a Bullet Is a Felony—But a Fist That Draws Blood Is Not
New York State has made its position on firearms crystal clear: if you’re caught carrying a gun without the proper license—even if it’s never fired—you can be charged with a Class E felony. This became law under the New York SAFE Act, enacted in January 2013 following the Sandy Hook shooting. The Act expanded the definition of assault weapons, implemented universal background checks, and imposed stricter penalties for illegal possession.
Under the SAFE Act, it is a felony offense to knowingly possess an operable firearm without a license, or to fail to register a firearm as required. That charge—a Class E felony—carries a potential penalty of one to four years in prison and fines of up to $5,000. Before the SAFE Act, illegal possession was often treated as a misdemeanor. Today, most unlicensed gun possession cases in the state are charged as felonies, even if the weapon is never drawn or used.
This might sound like strong public safety policy—and in the context of firearms, it is. But what’s revealing is how disproportionate this approach becomes when compared to how New York handles physical assaults without weapons.
Here’s the contradiction: Someone carrying an unloaded gun they never fire? Felony.
Someone slamming a woman into the pavement, causing a concussion and a deep laceration that requires stitches? Misdemeanor—because they used their hands, not a weapon.
This legal imbalance reveals a deeper flaw in how the system prioritizes harm. In the eyes of the law, the potential threat of a weapon is often taken more seriously than the actual damage inflicted by physical force. It suggests that what you carry matters more than what you do—a logic that leaves countless assault victims without real recourse.
If the SAFE Act showed us that New York is willing to adapt its laws in the name of public safety, then the same urgency must be applied to modernizing its assault statutes. Because a fist to the skull can kill. A shove onto concrete can maim. And the fact that these acts are still being treated as low-level offenses in 2025 is not just outdated—it’s dangerous.
Bail Reform: How New York’s Effort to Be Fair Became a Revolving Door for Violent Offenders
In 2020, New York State enacted sweeping bail reform legislation aimed at making the justice system more equitable. The reform eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, with the intention of ending a two-tiered system: one in which wealthier defendants could buy their freedom before trial, while poorer defendants—often people of color—remained incarcerated simply because they couldn’t pay.
But the road to reform has proven to be paved with dangerous loopholes. In trying to fix one injustice, New York may have created another—one that now plays out in the form of repeat assaults on innocent people, especially women, who are increasingly being targeted in public spaces by offenders with long arrest records who’ve been released again and again without bail.
What Changed Under Bail Reform
Under the initial bail reform law, judges were restricted from setting bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, limiting their discretion to detain defendants pretrial. Subsequent amendments have since expanded judicial discretion in certain cases. The new law mandates release—either on recognizance or with certain conditions—for a wide range of offenses, including:
- Most misdemeanors
- Non-violent felonies
- Assault in the third degree (a misdemeanor—even when the victim is severely injured)
This means someone can sucker-punch a woman on the street, break her nose, give her a concussion, or shove her into the pavement—and be automatically released within hours, without posting bail, even if they’ve been arrested for similar offenses multiple times before.
The Data: Repeat Offenders Are Slipping Through
A 2024 analysis by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice found that 66% of individuals with a recent prior arrest were re-arrested within two years—and that number jumps higher for those with violent charges. In a post-2020 New York, these repeat offenders are often released after every arrest, allowed to return to the same neighborhoods where they’ve already hurt people.
This revolving-door system is not just theoretical—it’s destroying lives. On my podcast Warrior of Truth, I interviewed 16-year-old Calista, a brave survivor who was violently attacked on her way to school in January 2023. Her assailant had been arrested over 30 times for similar offenses, yet he was continually released back into the public. Calista’s story is a chilling example of what happens when the system prioritizes procedural fairness over real-world safety.
According to NYPD data, felony assaults by repeat offenders in New York City surged by 146.5% over a six-year period, reaching a two-decade high in 2024. This trend has raised concerns about the impact of bail reform on public safety.
No Weapon? No Problem—for the Assailant
This issue becomes even more dire when considering how the bail reform law interacts with the outdated assault classifications under the penal code. Since many of these unprovoked attacks don’t involve weapons—and are thus charged as misdemeanors—they fall squarely within the no-bail zone.
So someone can walk up to a woman, punch her in the face, cause a head injury, and still walk away without spending a single night in jail. Not because it wasn’t violent. Not because it wasn’t traumatic. But because New York law still doesn’t classify fists as weapons—and the bail reform law doesn’t allow judges to consider danger to the public when deciding whether to hold someone pretrial.
Public Safety vs. Fairness: Why the System Is Buckling
The core flaw in the current system is this: judges are not allowed to assess a defendant’s risk to the community. The law, as written, prohibits preventative detention for most charges. That means even if someone has 15 prior arrests for assault, the court must release them again unless the current charge is on the narrow list of offenses eligible for bail.
While the original intent of bail reform—to stop criminalizing poverty—is valid and necessary, the law never adapted to the real-time rise in random, violent, unprovoked attacks. There is no mechanism to hold someone who is clearly dangerous but hasn’t yet used a knife or gun.
And who pays the price for this blind spot? Women. The elderly. Random people walking home from work. People like me, and countless others, who were blindsided by someone who should have never been back on the street.
This Isn’t Just a Crime Problem—It’s a Law Problem
We are not dealing with isolated incidents. We are facing a systemic failure—one that allows violent individuals to assault others without meaningful consequences, simply because they didn’t use a conventional weapon. The result? Women are bleeding in the streets while their attackers walk away—and the law calls it “minor.”
The law must change. Here’s where we begin:
1. Expand the Definition of a Dangerous Instrument
New York Penal Law must be amended to explicitly recognize that hands, fists, and other body parts can function as dangerous instruments when used to cause significant physical harm. This would close the loophole that allows serious assaults to be charged as misdemeanors simply because no weapon was used—even when the injuries are severe.
2. Grant Judges Discretion in Bail Decisions for Unprovoked Violence
The current bail reform law prohibits judges from considering whether a defendant poses a danger to the public in many assault cases—especially those classified as misdemeanors. This must change. Judges should have the authority to assess a defendant’s risk based on prior violent conduct and the nature of the offense, regardless of whether a weapon was involved.
3. Mandatory Reporting of Unarmed Assaults
The NYPD and city officials must be required to separately track and publicly report unarmed, unprovoked assaults in their CompStat crime data. These attacks are happening every day—but without classification and transparency, they are rendered invisible. A dedicated category would expose the pattern and allow for better policy responses.
This isn’t just about tweaking definitions or adjusting stats. It’s about correcting a system that minimizes real violence—violence that leaves lasting physical and emotional scars. It’s about moving beyond performative justice and building a legal framework that reflects the world we actually live in.
We’ve redefined what a weapon looks like in the age of mass shootings. Now it’s time to redefine what violence looks like in the era of random assaults. Because a fist can do just as much damage as a knife. And the law shouldn’t pretend otherwise.
We don’t need another press conference. We need change. We need laws that see what’s actually happening on our streets. We need police who show up, prosecutors who press charges, and a justice system that recognizes that trauma doesn’t require a weapon to be real. Women in this city are being hurt—badly—and then ignored. The silence around this epidemic is not just negligent. It’s complicit.
If the system won’t protect us, then we will expose it. And we will demand one that does.
If you’ve been a victim of an unprovoked assault and want to share your story—or if you need help being heard—email me at kelly@kellydillon.com. You are not alone. And you deserve to be seen.
