New York City has been shaken by a recent string of alleged random assaults targeting women, with influencer Halley Kate Mcgookin's video recounting her own attack going viral on TikTok. The incident prompted more than a dozen other women to come forward and share stories of similar assaults, including "Real Housewives" star Bethenny Frankel.

According to reports, a 40-year-old man was arrested by the New York City police after allegedly punching Mcgookin in the face as she walked along Seventh Avenue on Monday. Mcgookin's video, which has garnered over 41.2 million views, sparked a wave of solidarity on social media, with other victims detailing their own experiences of seemingly random assaults through TikTok and Instagram.

In a subsequent video, Mcgookin revealed that she was looking at her phone during the attack, a detail that was echoed in the stories of other victims. One TikTok user, Mikayla Toninato, even received a since-deleted comment from Bethenny Frankel, who admitted to experiencing a similar assault but remained silent due to embarrassment. Bethenny's representatives have not responded to inquiries for comment.

Several victims have reported that they were targeted while distracted by their cell phones, texting, or using GPS. Comedian Sarah Suzuki Harvard shared her ordeal of being "punched in the back of [her] skull from a random man on the street." The exact number of women who reported their assaults to the police remains unclear. Meanwhile, Harvard stated that she initially considered her attack as an isolated incident until hearing other women's stories, at which point she decided to file a report.

The recent assaults bear striking similarities to the infamous "knockout game," a cruel behavior wherein participants aim to knock out a victim with a single punch. NPR indicates that this trend can be traced back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it has resurfaced intermittently over the years. In 2013, numerous reports across the nation linked the knockout game to fatal assaults in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Some officials, however, dismissed the idea of a game being involved as an urban myth.

The emergence of these attacks has reignited concerns regarding public safety in the city. Law enforcement agencies are expected to take these reports seriously and investigate any potential links between the incidents. The online community, on the other hand, has rallied together to support the victims and raise awareness about the dangers of distracted walking in urban environments.