Sarah Jane Comrie is a physician assistant at New York City Health + Hospitals/Bellevue who was identified on social media as the woman accused of racism in a viral video involving a dispute over a Citi Bike. The video went viral on social media on Sunday, May 14, 2023, but details of its origin and when the incident occurred were not immediately available.
Comrie’s attorney, Justin Marino, posted a statement on his firm’s website responding to the viral video and disputing that his client had tried to steal the bike and pushing back against accusations that her behavior in the video was racist. He said receipts show that she paid to rent the bike seen in the video and then paid for a second bike to get home.
Marino wrote in the May 17 statement, “Here are the facts: On May 12th my client finished her roughly 12-hour shift and approached the Citi Bike station so she could head home. She went to an available bike, which no individuals were on or touching, mounted it and paid for it via the Citi Bike app on her phone. She then backed it up after it was released from the docking station.”
Comrie was identified on TikTok by @thatdaneshguy in a video that has millions of views. Comrie’s identity was confirmed in a GoFundMe set up by a family member to support her.
Her employer issued a statement on social media on May 14 saying, “We have recently become aware of an incident that occurred off campus over the weekend and appears to involve one of our employees. We are sorry this happened and we are reviewing the incident. NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is committed to providing the highest quality of care to all New Yorkers with dignity, cultural sensitivity and compassion.”
On May 16, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue tweeted an additional statement saying, “We are aware of the video involving a health care provider off duty and away from the hospital campus. The incident in the video is disturbing. The provider is currently out on leave and will remain on leave pending review. As a health system, we are committed to providing an environment for our patients and staff that is free from discrimination of any kind.”
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump shared the video on Instagram and wrote, “This is unacceptable! A white woman was caught on camera attempting to STEAL a Citi Bike from a young Black man in NYC. She grossly tried to weaponize her tears to paint this man as a threat. This is EXACTLY the type of behavior that has endangered so many Black men in the past!”
Comrie could not be reached for comment by Heavy and appears to have disabled her social media. The young Black man in the video has not been identified and has not spoken out about the incident. An NYPD spokesperson told the New York Post that police are aware of the video.