Who is the pro-Trump mayoral candidate ‘descended from Marcus Garvey’ accused of punching women in NYC?

On Wednesday, 40-year-old Skiboky Stora was arrested and charged with assault after multiple women in New York City reported being randomly punched in the street.

Accounts of the “unprovoked” attacks spread online. But Mr Stora – later identified by police as the man arrested in connection with the incidents – is no stranger to social media and enjoys his own colorful online presence.

Here’s what you need to know:

Online presence and Marcus Garvey claims

Mr Stora is very active on social media, with over 10,000 followers on Instagram and over 83,000 on TikTok. He posts regular videos of himself both out in New York and at home.

His videos show various exchanges with members of law enforcement, which are sometimes heated.

He appears to be a supporter of former president Donald Trump, with several of the videos filmed at home taking place in front of a large banner bearing Mr Trump’s name.

Mr Stora also appears to be an aspiring rap artist. He has posted multiple music videos to YouTube under the artist name Designer Attitude.

He also claims to be the descendant of Jamaican-born political and civil rights activist Marcus Garvey. Captions at the bottom of many of his videos read “Skiboky Stora 2024 Marcus Garvey Grandson Freedom Party.”

In his videos Mr Stora often introduces himself to strangers as the “great, great grandson” of Marcus Garvey and is occasionally seen wearing a hat with the claim on it.

The Independent has been unable to verify Mr Stora’s claim that he is indeed a descendent of Garvey, a leading exponent of the Pan-Africanist movement who died in London in 1940. The claims have been challenged in the comment sections of some of his posts.

Political aspirations

Mr Stora has made a number of unsuccessful bids for public office in New York City.

A recent GoFundMe page set up by Mr Stora states: “I’m running for Mayor of New York City in 2025.” In the three months since its creation, the page has raised just $65 of its $5,000,000 target, though one supporter has commented: “F*** yeah skabooky.”

Last year Mr Strora made a bid for City Council in District 9, but lost out to Democrat Yusef Salaam. He ran on the Freedom Party ticket and ultimately failed to secure a spot on the ballot, according to Ballotpedia.

In 2022, he was a “withdrawn or disqualified” Republican gubernatorial candidate, the site said.

Lee Zeldin eventually won the party’s nomination but lost out to current New York City Governor Kathy Hochul.

During a debate for fringe candidates hosted by Gotham Gazette in 2021, Mr Stora, running under the Out Lawbreaker Party ticket, recounted how he had been shot while living in a homeless shelter in 2005.

According to City Limits he later unsuccessfully sued the Department of Homeless Services and a security contractor over the incident.

“The main thing the Mayor Skiboky administration would be known for is people in certain positions being held accountable,” Mr Stora said during the debate.

In the 2021 mayoral election, Mr Stora ultimately earned just 264 votes. He fell more than 750,000 votes shy of Democrat and current New York mayor Eric Adams.

Arrests

Mr Stora was arrested on Wednesday 27 March and charged with assault, after a number of women reported being randomly punched in the face in New York.

In a TikTok video posted on Monday, influencer Halley Kate tearfully recalled being attacked in Manhattan.

“You guys, I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face. Oh my god, it hurts so bad. I can’t even talk. Literally, I fell to the ground and now this giant goose egg is forming,” the 23-year-old said.

Ms Kate later noted that the man was walking his dog when the incident occurred, and she fell to the ground and “blacked out for a second”. When she got back up, Halley recalled the man was “screaming at me” and she ran away.

She added that after filing a police report she was told by officials that it had “matched” another police report detailing a similar incident.

A statement from the NYPD on Wednesday said an individual had been detained in response to a “viral video depicting a woman who was randomly assaulted in an unprovoked attack.” The NYPD later confirmed to The Independent that Mr Stora was the individual in question.

The force’s statement described Mr Stora as a “criminal recidivist with an extensive criminal record” and had been arrested three times in the past six months.

“Your NYPD detectives were able to identify the man after he was previously arrested for similar attacks, only to be released back onto our streets,” the statement said.

According to court records, Mr Stora has had multiple court appearances since last July. He is next scheduled to appear on 3 April.