(DailyVantage.com) – A Manhattan concert-goer who hurled a cell phone at pop singer Bebe Rexha and injured her face told reporters that he had done so because he thought it would be “funny.” The man’s attorneys followed up with the media and stated that he did it because of a “social media trend.”
The man told an officer as well that his actions were in line with a TikTok trend where a concert-goer throws a phone on stage and then the singer takes a selfie with the phone before giving it back.
However, concertgoers told media that they felt the action had been “intentional” and that the force and impact of the phone hitting the singer’s face had been loud enough to make a “bang” when it then hit the stage. Likewise, security staff stated that the man had told security he had thrown the phone deliberately to see if he could hit Rexha because it would be “funny.”
Rexha was on stage during her performance at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan on Sunday, June 19, when New Jersey man Nicolas Malvagna threw the phone at her face. The 33-year-old singer was seen by fans to fall to her knees as the phone struck her above the eye. Footage of the event shows the singer stagger and spin around before falling to her knees, as she became disoriented by the blow.
Malvagna was charged with assault for his actions.
After being struck in the face, Rexha was escorted off the stage where she was then reportedly treated by medical professionals at the venue.
Rexha shared a photo of her injury on Instagram. Above the eye that the phone made contact with, there was a small gash that ran into her eyebrow. The singer likewise sustained a black eye from the incident. Following the incident, the singer told an officer that she was in “substantial pain” from the impact.
While it had reportedly been unclear whether Rexha would be able to perform four follow-up shows, new media releases explained that the singer has made a recovery, and made her scheduled performance in Philadelphia.
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