Who are ScrubsNYC? MAGA social media trolls arrested after allegedly setting Black woman’s boots ablaze and making racial, obscene remarks in NYC

Police on Thursday (February 26, 2026) said that they arrested two social media trolls for trying to light a Black woman’s boots on fire during a clash filled with racist insults on a Manhattan street in New York City. According to the New York Daily News, the arrested duo, known online as "ScrubsNYC," included one man who donned a red “Make America Great Again” hat.

The two social media trolls identified as Michael Santiago, 31, and Michael James, 33, were taken into custody late on Wednesday (February 25, 2026), NY Daily News reported. According to the online news platform, the arrest came just a few hours after police released their images seeking help from the public in tracking them down. The two were wanted for a bizarre hate crime on West 26th Street and Seventh Avenue in Chelsea on February 19, 2026.

Trolls hit with multiple charges

The social media trolls were hit with a string of charges, including attempted assault, criminal mischief, and menacing, all as hate crimes, as well as aggravated harassment, arson, and criminal tampering.

According to the NY Daily News, the two nabbed suspects live in the same apartment building on the Upper East Side, according to police.

How did the incident unfold?

Drama began to unfold after the two trolls approached the 54-year-old victim at about 2:50 PM and were apparently talking to her when the provocateur in the MAGA hat began making racially abusive remarks that were caught on camera and posted online.

The woman casually pulled out her own phone and began recording the men, throwing insults right back at them. The exchange was marked by explicit, racially charged, and obscene language, with one of the trolls shouting aggressive and inflammatory abuse. The comments included vulgar sexual propositions and repeated references invoking racial domination, delivered in a hostile and confrontational manner.

The woman responded by filming the confrontation and returning verbal barbs of her own, using provocative and taunting language to counter the insults directed at her.

Victim appraoached the police

After realizing that her boot was damaged, the victim reported the incident to police and also provided officers photos of the two suspects from her recording of the verbal spat.

According to the NY Daily News, ScrubsNYC brags about being the “biggest streamers in New York right now” in one of their online videos. One video shows the pair lying in traffic and angering strangers with their bizarre rants.