Authorities in New York City have charged two men with hate crimes after one recorded the other calling a Black woman the N-word, telling her to be his “slave,” then trying to set her on fire. Police identified the culprits as 31-year-old Michael Santiago and 33-year-old Michael James. Mic hael James, 33, (left) and Michael Santiago, 31, (right), were charged with hate crimes after Santiago recorded James calling a Black woman racial slurs, telling her to be his slave, then setting her boots on fire. (Photos: NYPD Crime Stoppers) Authorities say Santiago recorded James as he approached and sexually harassed a 54-year-old Black woman while aiming anti-Black slurs and insults at her. The incident happened on Feb. 19 in Manhattan, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers. ‘They’re Too Dumb to Know’: NYC Professor Who Berated Black Students on Hot Mic in Racist Rant Suspended By College Video footage that went viral shows James making sexually derogatory and racist remarks at the woman and calling her the N-word, all while donning a “Make America Great Again” hat. “I want to f*** a slave, be my slave,” James says, while leaning towards her. “I could never ’cause you’re a slave,” she replies. Moments later, James asks to kiss the woman’s boots. The woman allows him to, but not before pulling out her cellphone to record the encounter. Once she starts recording James and Santiago, she then tells James to kiss her shoes. James kneels, flicks on a lighter, and sets the woman’s boots on fire. A small flame appears on her shoes but quickly goes out. “I burned your shoe n—r,” he tells her. “I just burned your boot, now what?” The woman, unfazed by the attack, looks at her phone, then continues recording James while returning his insults. This is the clip that got ScrubsNYC arrested. He starts a race war with a black woman in NYC. This is just wholesome IMO, of course Mamdani's New York would call this a 'crime' pic.twitter.com/5apHvDNOrP— IP2 Always Wins (@Ip2AlwaysWin) February 26, 2026 Both men later posted videos about the incident on the YouTube page, ‘ScrubsNYC’, and also recorded themselves reading off a New York Post article about the assault, according to WABC. Police say that the woman was not harmed, but her boots, valued at $89, were damaged. James and Santiago had been harassing multiple pedestrians before they targeted her. Both men were charged with attempted assault, criminal mischief, and menacing, all classified as hate crimes. They also face aggravated harassment, arson, and criminal tampering. ‘Be My Slave’: Man In MAGA Hat Calls Black Woman Slurs, Makes Unwanted Advances Then Sets Her Boots on Fire In Racist Attack, Video Shows ...read more read less