Pop star Bebe Rexha took to social media on Monday to reassure her fans that she is unharmed following an incident at a live concert where a cellphone thrown from the crowd struck her in the face.
Prosecutors reported that a man, who has been charged with assaulting Bebe Rexha by hurling his phone at her during a concert, justified his actions to the police by stating he thought “it would be funny”.
The event unfolded on Sunday evening while Rexha was delivering a live performance at The Rooftop, Pier 17 in New York.
Rexha was hit on the head, which resulted in her falling down on stage, and she had to be transported to a hospital later, where she underwent a procedure to stitch a wound above her left eye.
According to an initial investigation conducted by the New York City Police, the individual had “intentionally threw” his mobile device as the concert concluded.
The suspected attacker has been identified as Nicolas Malvagna, a 27-year-old resident of New Jersey.
Malvagna faced charges on Monday including two counts of third-degree assault, one count of second-degree harassment, one count of second-degree aggravated harassment, and one count of third-degree attempted assault.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office stated that Mr Malvagna admitted to hurling the phone and told a law enforcement officer present at the location: “I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny.”
Attacker mr Malvagna is scheduled to make another court appearance on July 1 to address the charges brought against him.
On Monday, Rexha posted images of her injuries on Instagram. The pictures displayed a bruise around her left eye and a cut on her eyebrow.
Nonetheless, she captioned the photos with “I’m good”, along with a thumbs-up gesture towards the camera.
Celebrities such as Winnie Harlow, Nelly, Demi Lovato, Leona Lewis, and Lauren Jauregui joined others in sending the singer supportive messages in the comments.
“Love you girly,” Lovato commented. “So sorry this happened to you.”
DJ Hector Fonesca expressed, “No one should ever throw a heavy object like that at an artist,” and added, “That person needs to be banned from all concerts.”
Known for her dynamic pop tracks such as “I’m Good (Blue)” with David Guetta, and “Heart Wants What It Wants”, Rexha, whose birth name is Bleta Rexha, is a celebrated figure in the music industry.
In addition to her own hits, she has penned successful songs for artists including Eminem, Rihanna, and Selena Gomez.
The 33-year-old singer is set to perform at The Fillmore in Philadelphia on Tuesday, and she will continue her tour in the UK in July.
