Former Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel is one of many women who have recently been attacked on the streets of Manhattan. Within the last month, numerous New York City residents have been punched by strangers in broad daylight. Many victims have turned to social media to share their stories. 

Fashion design student Mikayla Toninato shared a TikTok video earlier this week (March 26), recounting her own experience of being assaulted. Toninato, who has garnered 23.5K followers on the platform, caught Frankel's attention. The reality star, 53, related to the story and confessed that something similar had happened to her on the Upper West Side. 

@mikaylatoninato @halley ♬ original sound - mikayla

"This is insane bc this happened to me a few months ago but I was embarrassed to say," wrote Frankel in the comments. "I was on the UWS. Insane. I was taking video of a bakery." 

Frankel has deleted the comment and has yet to speak out about the incident on her personal account. Approximately 25 women have voiced their harrowing experiences of being attacked across the Big Apple. 

Influencer Halley Kate, with 1.2 million followers, tearfully recounted (March 25) being punched in the face by a man while walking. The selfie-style video displayed a significant bump on her forehead. 

"You guys, I was literally just walking, and a man came up and punched me in the face," said Kate. "Oh my God, it's so bad. I can't even talk," she added. 

@halleykate

♬ original sound - halley

The NYPD confirmed the incident, stating that a 23-year-old woman reported an assault at West 16th Street and 7th Avenue at 10:20 a.m. Monday. Kate was treated for injuries to the left side of her face. 

While it remains unclear if these incidents are connected, they bear resemblance to an emerging trend in NYC known as the "knockout game," wherein young individuals dare each other to randomly sucker-punch strangers.

"What's really unbearable is that general never-ending feeling now of feeling unsafe and feeling constantly alert, constantly looking over my shoulder," said another victim, Sarah Harvard, 30. "This anxiety is manifesting physically, too. I slept last night for two hours. The night before, I slept for four hours. I'm having trouble breathing, and my chest is getting really tight." 

This is a developing story. Fandom Daily will update readers in a timely manner. 

Photo Credit: @bethennyfrankel on Instagram.