The concertgoer accused of knocking down singer Bebe Rexha with a cellphone throw said he did it because he thought it “would be funny,” according to prosecutors Monday.
Nicolas Malvagna, 27, of Manalapan, New Jersey, was charged with assault and harassment for hurling the mobile at the “I’m Good (Blue)” Grammy nominee during her show in Manhattan on Sunday, NBC New York reported. The impact to her eye caused her to collapse to her knees, video showed, and she later received stitches.
The suspect allegedly offered a disturbing motive for his act.
“I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny,” Malvagna told security at the Pier 17 venue, according to a civilian in the criminal complaint, per CBS New York.
But Malvagna’s lawyer, Todd Spodek, told HuffPost on Tuesday that “as a fan, Mr. Malvagna’s sole intention was to have Ms. Rexha take photos with his phone and return it as a keepsake. It was never his intention to injure Ms. Rexha.”
Spodek said in court Monday that Malvagna was following a TikTok trend of tossing a phone on stage in hopes the performer would click selfies with it. Malvagna thought she was looking in his direction, Spodek said, per CBS New York.
Malvagna did not speak at the hearing.
CBS New York reported that Rexha told police she was in “substantial pain,” according to the complaint. She showed her black and blue eye on Instagram while reassuring fans, “I’m good.”
She offered a similar message on TikTok, even singing the chorus of her hit song.
Rexha was scheduled to perform in Philadelphia on Tuesday. As of Tuesday morning, the show was scheduled to go on.
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