Millionaire investment banker Jonathan Kaye was captured last Saturday via a surveillance camera striking a woman in the face via a vicious right hook and knocking her to the ground.
The incident, which happened in one of the streets of New York, spread over social media via an unknown victim who posted it on X, saying, "This guy punched me in the face today and broke my nose and busted up my friends arm, can anyone find him?"
Kaye, the Managing Director of leading investment firm Moelis & Company, is a resident of NYC in the Park Slope neighbourhood, where his $4 million, four-bedroom townhouse is located.
Millionaire Banker's Violent Act on Brooklyn Streets
Details about what caused the altercation are still scarce. In the video, the woman is seen crumpling to the ground from the punch's impact. A bystander makes a valiant attempt to intervene but to no avail.
The brief and shaky video captures Kaye turning towards the camera after striking the woman and sending her to the ground. He then walks away, carrying a bag in one hand, with a noticeable stain on the back of his jacket.
The scene is met with outrage from onlookers, who hurl insults at Kaye, calling him an "a**hole" and telling him to "go f**k himself."
A representative for the bank corroborated with DailyMail.com that Kaye is indeed the individual in the video making the round online. They confirmed that an investigation had been promptly initiated.
Internal Investigation
Moelis has now launched an internal investigation into the incident, but it is still unclear whether the NYPD has been notified.
The firm emphasised the gravity of the situation and even posted a statement via X: "We take this matter very seriously and are conducting an investigation."
The incident unfolded amidst the celebratory atmosphere of Park Slope's 28th annual Brooklyn Pride Multicultural Festival. The day-long event started with a 5K run/walk and culminated in a vibrant parade along Fifth Avenue, drawing thousands of participants.
There is no indication that the Pride event had anything to do with the incident.
Who Is Jonathan Kaye?
Prior to this incident, Kaye's profile on Moelis's website listed him as one of the top officials of the company. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University and graduated with academic honours (cum laude) from Duke University School of Law.
The Jewish Grad Organisation also maintains a profile highlighting Kaye's decade-long tenure at Moelis. It credits him for contributing to the firm's rise to market leadership, facilitating over 125 successful transactions exceeding a collective enterprise value of $100 billion.
Before joining Moelis, Kaye held the position of Marketing Director at Citigroup, the third-largest banking institution in the US. In his current role at Moelis, he leads ten business service verticals, managing a dedicated team of bankers and leveraging his extensive network of relationships with strategic companies and private equity investors, as detailed in his biography.
The biography further underscores his prominent standing within the financial sector by highlighting his position on the firm's Management Committee.
Social Media Prominence
Prominent personalities have recently found themselves in the limelight thanks to social media. Take, for example, a YouTube millionaire who embarked on a self-made challenge to build a million-dollar fortune from scratch within a year. However, he was forced to abandon the ambitious project due to declining health.
Similarly, eight-year-old Ruby McLellan from Australia made headlines as the country's youngest property investor. In March, she and her siblings joined forces with their parents to purchase a house in Clyde, Victoria, contributing their saved-up allowance towards the down payment.
