Woman who allegedly pepper-sprayed Muslim Uber driver while he was praying charged with hate crime

A New York woman who allegedly pepper-sprayed a Muslim Uber driver while he was praying was hit with hate crime charges, according to officials.

Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, was indicted Monday in the New York State Supreme Court after using pepper spray on the 45-year-old man on the Upper East Side in July this year, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed.

Officials said the Uber driver stopped at a red light and began praying in Arabic. Then, the woman reportedly lunged forward toward the man’s seat with a can of pepper spray in her hand. She sprayed the driver in the face, causing “burning, redness and pain,” the officials wrote earlier this week in a press release, citing court documents and statements made on the record.

The driver then called 911 a “few minutes later” which led to Guilbeault’s arrest on the scene, according to the release. 

“As alleged, Jennifer Guilbeault senselessly assaulted a Muslim Uber driver while he was just doing his job,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in the statement. “The victim is a hardworking New Yorker who should not have to face this type of hate because of his identity. 

Guilbeault was charged with one count of assault in the second degree as a hate crime, aggravated harassment in the second degree and assault in the third degree as a hate crime, according to the district attorney's office.

Bragg said in a statement on Monday that “everyone is welcome to live and work in Manhattan, and our Hate Crimes Unit will continue to address bias-motivated attacks by thoroughly investigating and prosecuting cases, conducting community outreach, and supporting victims.”