Elderly Woman Pepper-Sprayed, Called 'Karen' By Subway Turnstile Jumpers

The New York City Police Department is searching for a group of women who were reported to have pepper-sprayed an elderly woman who confronted them as they attempted to jump a subway station turnstile on the Upper West Side, the New York Post reports.

Police said the incident took place on the downtown 1 Train platform at the 66th Street-Lincoln Center station at around 3:00 p.m. ET on Monday (July 17). The woman confronted the group before the attacker responded with, "Mind your own business, Karen," and discharged pepper spray, NYPD officials said.

A photo of the suspect was captured as she was holding the bottle just prior to the attack. The victim called 911 to report the assault but refused medical attention, according to the Post.

The suspect was described as a woman in her 20s who is approximately 5'4" with a heavy build and seen wearing a black T-shirt with the words "Sold Out," black leggings and sneakers at the time of the incident, according to the NYPD. The incident took place after a NYC Health + Hospital worker was publicly deemed as a 'Karen' for allegedly trying to hijack a Citi Bike from a young Black customer.

'Karen' is a phrase that has been used on social media in recent years to describe entitled white women, as was the case during a 2020 incident in which Amy Cooper was deemed 'Central Park Karen' for calling the police on birdwatcher Christian Cooper, a Black man, after he asked her to put her dog on a leash.