If you’ve been keeping up with what the Big Apple is like during the pandemic, you’ll know homeless encampments have popped up along major New York City avenues. Restaurants and retail shops have shuttered.
One hard-hit area has been midtown Manhattan near Penn Station, where WABC reporter Diana Rocco says a homeless man attacked her by spitting in her eye.
According to a post over the weekend on Instagram, Rocco explained she had been off air because she got an eye infection as a result of the attack.
“Some of you may have noticed I have been off air for the last week. This is why. I was spit on by a homeless person outside of Penn Station over a week ago, as a result I got an eye infection and have had to undergo two rounds of Covid testing. I am out of work pending those test results which I am confident will be negative,” she wrote.
Rocco also talked about the current challenges of reporting in New York.
“This run-in with the man at Penn Station has become all too common in New York City, especially for TV reporters. When people ask me what New York is like these days, this is an example. Homeless encampments have taken over the city and they are left to wander the streets without treatment. Its beyond sad and its gotten dangerous,” Rocco continued.
PIX11 reporter Nicole Johnson chimed in about her concerns for reporters right now.
“So sorry. Hope you feel better soon. It’s so scary out in these streets for us,” she said.