Source: YouTube screen shot / YouTube screen shot
Updated July 14th, 2021 – 12:45 PM****
Another “Karen” is currently trending on social media and this time, the belligerent culprit struck at a Victoria’s Secret at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey on July 11.
The victim Ijeoma Ukenta, captured the shocking moment on her cellphone when the woman, who has now been identified as Abigail Elphick, charged at her seemingly trying to smack the phone out of her hand. Once Ukenta mentioned that she had recorded the entire altercation, Elphick proceeded to have a full-on meltdown in the middle of the store, realizing that her rude and violent behavior had been caught on camera.
The trending video is a segment of a six-part YouTube video recording of the incident. Ukenta told authorities that as she was shopping around the store, Abigail rudely jumped in front of her and even pushed her out the way. That’s when Elphick can be seen trying to smack the phone out of Ukenta’s hand.
In the clip, you can hear Ukenta saying in disbelief:
“I never thought nothing like this would ever happen to me. She just tried to run and hit me.”
Elphick replies:
“I didn’t try to hit you,” before she begins crying uncontrollably.
Later in the 7-minute video, you can hear Elphick sob, “Don’t record my mental breakdown.”
Ijeoma Ukenta who identifies as a Black Muslimah Nigerian has now set up a GoFundMe page seeking legal defense against the scorned “Karen.” Ukenta wrote in her fundraiser bio:
“….I was treated like it was 1920 in Short Hills Mall. I was assaulted and harassed by a white woman and nothing was done by security nor the police. I am looking to hire me an excellent attorney who can help me bring light to this wrong. All videos and updates on the situation are on my YouTube channel: Mama Africa Muslimah. “
Ukenta added that she was “kicked off TikTok” because of the viral video, however, the platform let someone else post clips of the harrowing incident.
“…They let someone else post and get millions and millions of views, however, they deleted 2 of my accounts. One that I have for my Garden which was my original account and another one that I created after I deleted my account.”
As of Wednesday morning, Ukenta’s GoFundMe has surpassed its original goal of $20,000 and has now received over $74,000 in donations.
Victoria’s Secret issued a response on Tuesday (July 13) following the uproar surrounding the “Karen’s” egregious behavior. The company shared in a statement on Twitter that the safety of their customers is a “top priority” and that they will be launching a full investigation into the incident.
“Our associates followed our protocols and immediately called our Emergency Operations Center as well as mall security for support during the altercation between our customers,” the company wrote.
“We are dedicated to continuing this critical conversation and demonstrating our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through our actions and our words.”
