2 Men, One Wearing MAGA Hat, Accused of Setting Woman's Boots on Fire - People.com

2 Men, One Wearing MAGA Hat, Accused of Setting Woman's Boots on Fire and Making Anti-Black Statements The two men were arrested days after the incident, which occurred on Feb. 19 in New York City By Liam Quinn Liam Quinn Liam Quinn is a crime reporter for People Magazine. He previously covered breaking news for The Record/NorthJersey.com. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 26, 2026 05:32PM EST 3 Comments Michael Santiago and Michael James. Credit : NYPD Crimestoppers/Facebook (2) NEED TO KNOW Two men were arrested after being accused of lighting a woman's boots on fire and making anti-Black statementsThe two men were identified by the NYPD as Michael Santiago, 31, and Michael James, 33One of the men was shown in a picture shared by police wearing a MAGA hat Two men were arrested on hate crime and arson charges after police alleged that they set a woman's boots on fire after making anti-Black statements. Prior to the arrests, police shared photos of the two men, one of whom was holding a phone on a tripod, while the other was wearing a red MAGA hat. The men were subsequently identified as Michael Santiago, 31, and Michael James, 33, who both apparently live at the same address in New York, according to the New York City Police Department. The incident occurred on Feb. 19 near the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, police said. The victim, a 54-year-old woman, was approached by the two men, the NYPD claimed. Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now! "One of the individuals engaged the victim in conversation and leaned in to kiss her," police said in a press release. "The victim pushed him away, after which the individual proceeded to make anti-Black statements toward her." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. According to police, the victim tried to leave the scene but the suspects tried to prevent her, then allegedly brandished a lighter and set her boots on fire. No injuries were reported. Santiago and James were both booked on charges of attempted assault - hate crime, criminal mischief - hate crime, three counts of aggravated harassment, attempted assault, menacing - hate crime, criminal mischief, arson, menacing and criminal tampering. It is not clear if the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has officially filed charges yet. Close Leave a Comment Read more: Crime Crime News