Jonathan Kaye is shown moments after punching an unidentified woman in Brooklyn, New York City, on June 8, 2024. | Source: X screenshot
More than three days after Jonathan Kaye was shown on video brutally punching a woman in New York City last weekend, the wealthy banker seemingly remains on the payroll of an investment firm amid calls for him to be fired, arrested and prosecuted for the brazenly violent assault during a Pride Month event.
In fact, aside from the Moelis & Company investment firm quietly placing Kaye on leave as it conducts an investigation it said began on Sunday, it appears as though the company’s managing director who leads its global business services franchise may not face any real punishment, both occupationally and legally.
In case you missed it, Kaye reportedly broke the unidentified woman’s nose with one violent punch, knocking her to the street as stunned onlookers cursed him but did not try to stop him while he walked away freely on Saturday night in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Moelis & Company ultimately confirmed to Business Insider that Kaye is the employee it placed on leave following its initial social media post announcing the “serious incident” was under investigation.
Unverified reports attributed to anonymous sources in conservative tabloids like the New York Post and the Daily Mail have claimed that the brief clip showing Kaye punching a woman in the face with a vicious blow that knocked her to the ground only told part of the story and suggested the victim and other alleged “Queers for Palestine” protesters provoked Kaye.
That narrative effectively tries to justify the actions by Kaye, who was shown moments after the violence muttering something unintelligible that suggested he was blaming the woman for his own violence.
Since the violence took place during a Pride Month event, it also brought into question whether it was motivated by homophobia.
The social media video that brought widespread attention to the incident claimed that Kaye punched “a black woman,” which also introduced the topic of race into the violent equation. That said, neither the identity nor the race of the victim was immediately confirmed.
The below video footage is graphic in nature and should be viewed with discretion.
Considering Moelis & Company’s social media post early Sunday morning boasting that it “celebrates Pride Month, the extraordinary contributions of the LGBTQ+ community, and our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace for all,” such violence against a woman, particularly at a Pride Month event, seemingly contradicts the company’s aforementioned “commitment.”
There are other hints that Kaye has not been fired, including the fact that Moelis & Company’s social media post announcing it was “conducting an investigation” into the incident is not only still live – suggesting the investigation is ongoing – but it also still identifies the person at the center of the investigation as “one of our employees.”
On top of that, Kaye’s bio page on Moelis & Company’s website is still live and very searchable on Google. Kaye’s LinkedIn page, however, was quickly deleted as the video began going viral on Sunday.
Moelis & Company did not immediately respond to an inquiry from NewsOne about Kaye’s employment status at the investment firm.
Aside from an apparent lack of any corporate accountability, the NYPD seemingly has no plans to look into the matter.
Responding to questions of whether the NYPD was investigating the incident, a spokesperson for the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information would only say “The NYPD is aware of the video.”
Without addressing the woman in the video, the NYPD told NewsOne in an email earlier this week that “We encourage anyone who has been a victim to file a police report,” adding that “There are currently no complaint reports on file.”
Taken together, it all suggests that Kaye could not only emerge from this viral fiasco by remaining gainfully employed by Moelis & Company but also avoid any criminal prosecution for a random act of violence documented on video committed by a person who has been positively identified.
Sounds about white.
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The post Is He Fired Yet? Jonathan Kaye’s Employment Status Unclear After Punching Woman In Viral Video appeared first on NewsOne.
Is He Fired Yet? Jonathan Kaye’s Employment Status Unclear After Punching Woman In Viral Video was originally published on newsone.com
