Alexandrea Bozarjian, a reporter for NBC News-affiliate station WSAV, was covering a race in Savannah, Georgia when she was seemingly groped by an unidentified male participant on live television. One of the runners participating in the yearly Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run is seen appearing to “smack’” the reporter’s “butt,” as she puts it in her now-viral tweet, as he runs by her. Numerous other runners race by the reporter, some in costume, and while many people dart closely by or make odd facial expressions, only one person allegedly gropes her.
Here’s that video, which includes her painfully recognizable reaction, before she continues talking into the camera.
And here’s the reporter’s response to the video, which is going viral as well. The video has been viewed millions of times.
Sexual harassment and assault are so incredibly common that many women and non-binary people feel conditioned to keep going in spite of it. Deep societal messages urge survivors of misconduct and abuse to essentially put on a smile and keep working, keep having that conversation, or keep going about their obligations or niceties. This particular video and ensuing discussion is also a good reminder to not touch people without consent, period—whether it’s technically on a person’s bottom versus their back or hip, for example, doesn’t negate harm caused by unwanted touching.
"We've talked to her about the situation. I can't discuss it further, but it's up to Alexandrea on how she wants to handle the situation," Keturah Greene, public information coordinator for the Savannah Police Department, said to NBC News. "All I can say is we have made contact with Alexandrea and we are definitely going to be working with her in any capacity on how she'd like to move forward with this incident."
“What happened today is 100 percent unacceptable,” Robert Wells, director of the Savannah sports council, said as reported by the Independent. “You have my assurance we will identify him… This will not be tolerated at our events. Glad we have race bibs and photos for easy identification.”
People on Twitter are extending loads of support and sharing their own similar stories.
A 2018 survey from nonprofit Stop Street Harassment found that 81% of women report experiencing sexual harassment during their lifetime, with 38% saying they experienced it in the workplace.