Brooklyn prosecutors announced on March 25, 2026 that a Staten Island woman has been indicted on multiple hate-crime counts after a rapid string of alleged attacks in Bay Ridge that targeted three people, including a 12-year-old girl. Authorities say the victims were left bruised and shaken, and the incidents rattled a neighborhood that is home to one of the city’s largest Muslim communities.
Indictment and charges
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that the defendant, 34-year-old Megan Horne, has been indicted on charges that include third-degree assault as a hate crime, attempted assault and aggravated harassment, according to a press release from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
"This defendant is accused of targeting three people, including a child, in a string of unprovoked assaults allegedly fueled by anti-Muslim bias," Gonzalez said in the release.
Horne was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun and remains on supervised release. She has been ordered to return to court on May 27, 2026.
The attacks
Prosecutors say the charges stem from a burst of street assaults on January 30 in Bay Ridge that unfolded over about 11 minutes and within just a few blocks. According to police and reporting by The New York Times, the first incident happened around 2:25 p.m. near Fifth Avenue and 89th Street, where a woman wearing a hijab was pushed and kicked.
Minutes later, additional assaults were reported near 92nd Street and Gelston Avenue and near Fort Hamilton Parkway. The Times reported that the 12-year-old girl was struck in the face and required hospital treatment, and that witnesses heard the attacker make anti-Muslim comments, including telling the victims to "go back to their country." Police opened a hate-crimes investigation that led to the suspect’s arrest in early February.
Community reaction
Civil-rights advocates and local officials quickly condemned the attacks. The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the arrest "an important step toward accountability" but warned that the assaults reflect a broader and alarming rise in anti-Muslim hate, according to CAIR-NY.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso also denounced the incidents, urging stronger protections for visibly Muslim residents and pledging support for the neighborhood’s mosques and schools, as reported by NY1.
Prosecution and next steps
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Sharmalee Brooks-Gordon of the Hate Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Kelli M. Muse, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors emphasized that an indictment is an accusatory instrument, not proof of guilt.
The defendant remains on supervised release and is due back in Brooklyn Supreme Court on May 27, 2026. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and that the Hate Crimes Bureau is handling victim-safety follow-ups.
Advocates are urging anyone with information or video footage of the incidents to share it with investigators and local civil-rights groups to help build a complete case. Community organizations in Bay Ridge say they will continue outreach and safety briefings as residents process the attacks.
