Jonathan Kaye is shown moments after punching an unidentified woman in Brooklyn, New York City, on June 8, 2024. | Source: X screenshot
UPDATED: 2 p.m. ET, June 24
Originally published June 13
Sounds about white.
A wealthy banker who was shown on video brutally punching a woman in New York City earlier this month was granted the privilege of resigning from his lucrative position instead of being fired by the investment firm that employed him.
Jonathan Kaye remained on the the Moelis & Company investment firm payroll for more than two weeks amid calls for him to be fired, arrested and prosecuted for the brazenly violent assault during a Pride Month event.
But as of Monday morning, Kaye was no longer working for Moelis & Company, according to media reports. Bloomberg attributed the report to a Moelis & Company “spokesperson.”
Moelis & Company had quietly placed Kaye on leave as it said it was conducting an investigation that began the day after the assault that was recorded on video and went viral on social media. But even at that point, it had already appeared as though Kaye — who worked as a managing director who led Moelis & Company’s global business services franchise — was poised to 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 the night of June 8 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.
Moelis & Company posted a note on social media post on the morning of the assault 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.”
Kaye’s bio page on Moelis & Company’s website has been deactivated but remains searchable on Google. Kaye’s LinkedIn page, however, was quickly deleted as the video began going viral.
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, it was unclear if the NYPD has any 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 that “We encourage anyone who has been a victim to file a police report,” adding that “There are currently no complaint reports on file.”
A woman has since come forward and filed a police report. But as of Monday afternoon, there were no reports that Kaye had been arrested and charged with the crime he’s shown on video committing.
This is America.
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