An employee at a luxury dog kennel has been charged with assault after allegedly throwing a phone at Bebe Rexha during her New York concert.
Nicolas Malvagna, 27, of New Jersey, was arrested at 11 p.m. Sunday night after the device struck the Grammy-nominated artist in the face, sustaining three stitches.
The 33-year-old singer performed at The Rooftop at Pier 17 on Sunday as part of her Best F’n Night Of My Life tour.
Malvagna’s boss confirmed to that he was involved in the incident and had worked at the resort for six months.
In a statement, Judy Gorski, the local franchise owner of K9 Resorts in East Brunswick, said: “I understand that one of our employees attended the Bebe Rexha concert in his spare time.”
“I was shocked to learn of his arrest. “My employees and I do not condone violence in any form, regardless of intent, and this action is not consistent with our values as a company.”
Nicolas Malvagna, 27, (pictured), of New Jersey, was arrested at 11pm Sunday night after the device struck the Grammy-nominated artist in the face, sustaining three stitches
Rexha posted a video of her injuries on TikTok after the attack at her concert, showing that she required stitches
Rexha, a Grammy-nominated artist, was on her way to the stage when she was hit in the face by the device.
She posted a video of her injuries on social media, showing her eyebrows requiring stitches as a result.
The singer captioned it, “I’m fine guys,” before singing, “I’m fine yeah I’m fine.”
Authorities confirmed to that Malvagna has been arrested and charged with assault. He is expected to be charged later in the day and is believed to have thrown the phone to get her attention for a selfie.
Seconds after the incident, Rexha, a Brooklyn native, fell to her knees with her head bowed as several crew members in the wings rushed to her aid before she was rushed to Bellevue Hospital.
Fans immediately alerted security to the man who allegedly threw the phone, after which security took him away.
Other fans were quick to yell “That’s assault” at him as he was taken away, while others started booing and calling him an “asshole.”
A spokesman for the NYPD said, “At approximately 10:00 p.m. Sunday, June 18, 2023, police were notified of an attack on the Pier 17 concert venue at 89 South Street within the 1st Precinct.”
She posted a video of her injuries on social media, showing her eyebrows requiring stitches as a result
Seconds after the incident, Rexha, a Brooklyn native, fell to her knees with her head bowed as several crew members in the wings rushed to her aid before she was taken to the hospital
Videos posted to Twitter showed the entertainer, whose full name is Bleta Rexha, being helped off the stage after the incident
“A preliminary on-site investigation revealed that a 27-year-old man intentionally threw a mobile phone at a 33-year-old performer on stage, punching her in the face.”
“The person was taken into custody on site and taken to the 1st Precinct to process the arrest.”
“The woman treated was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital in stable condition.”
Videos posted to Twitter showed the entertainer, whose full name is Bleta Rexha, being helped off the stage after the incident.
While she was tended to by paramedics and escorted behind the curtain of the venue, she waved to the audience.
“This is Bebe Rexha being hustled out of the concert hall here in NYC after someone threw a frigging phone and slapped her in the face as she was leaving the stage,” the Twitter user captioned the clip.
“We all had a blast and so did Bebe, we all had a blast I mean who would even do that??? ‘Hope you’re doing well @BebeRexha.’
A tweet from the Account Pop Base Read: “Bebe Rexha’s Mom Reveals She Had Three Stitches After Someone in the Audience threw a phone at her head during her concert.”
Dozens of Rexha fans took to Twitter to speak out about the senseless attack on the pop star.
“Bebe is literally one of the sweetest no problem people in the music industry, she doesn’t deserve this… some of you guys really need to leave her alone omg,” one fan wrote.
Rexha appeared injured and bloodied after the phone bruised her eyebrow, leaving her eye black
Other fans were quick to shout “This is assault” to the man allegedly responsible as he was taken away, while others began booing and calling him an “asshole”.
Seconds after the incident, Rexha, a Brooklyn native, fell to her knees with her head bowed as several crew members in the wings rushed to her aid before she was taken to the hospital
Rexha had promoted the show with a frame on her Instagram Stories on Sunday
Another fan of the Baby, I’m Jealous actress wrote: “Absolutely amazing show ruined by a fan throwing their phone at @BebeRexha. Hopefully she’ll be fine afterwards.”
One fan complained about the lack of decency on the part of the fan throwing the phone on stage, while another questioned why and how this could have happened.
“The fans are so shit, because what does that mean? Bebe Rexha had to go to the frigging hospital and got stitches in her head because someone threw a phone at her and it hit her???? What the hell???’ said the fan.
Another fan called Rexha “literally one of the nicest, most problem-free people in the music industry,” adding, “She doesn’t deserve this.”
Another fan said, “Bebe Rexha really deserves better… aside from the audience showing no visible signs of caring.”
“As I know, if you paid $6 to visit her, at the end of the day, you have to show some respect…”
It wasn’t immediately clear if and for how long the frightening incident and resulting injury would keep Rexha out of action during her tour.
She has four upcoming concert dates planned for the coming week.
These include a June 20 appointment at The Fillmore in Philadelphia; June 21 at the Fillmore Silver Spring in Silver Spring, Maryland; June 23 at the Tabernacle in Atlanta; and on June 24 at Hard Rock Live Orlando in Orlando, Florida.