The man who threw a phone at Bebe Rexha mid-concert, leaving her with a black eye, claims he just wanted the singer to take a quick snap on his phone before returning it.
The pop singer, 33, was entertaining the crowd at Pier17 in New York City during her 'Best F*n Night of My Life' tour on Sunday (18 June).
But things took an unfortunate turn after a phone was launched onto the stage, smashing into Bebe’s face.
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Footage recorded by fans shows the star pausing for a second before falling to her knees while on stage, bringing the concert to an abrupt end.
Bebe was then rushed off stage by her team while she clutched her face.
Nicholas Malvagna, a 27-year-old from New Jersey, was later arrested and charged with assault in relation to the incident.
Malvagna, who was arraigned on Monday evening, confessed to throwing the phone and, according to The Manhattan District Attorney’s office, allegedly told a witness that he did it as he thought it would be ‘funny’.
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The witness told authorities that after the phone was thrown he asked who threw it, following which Malvagna raised his hand.
When he asked the 27-year-old why he’d done it, he allegedly told the witness: “I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny."
Now, a lawyer working on behalf of Malvagna has claimed that he was simply hoping the star would take some shots with the phone’s camera and give it back to him.
Todd A Spodek told TMZ: "As a fan, Mr. Malvagna's sole intention was to have Ms. Rexha take photos with his phone, and return it as a keepsake. It was never his intention to injure Ms. Rehxa."
A spokesman for the NYPD said: “On Sunday, June 18, 2023 at approximately 2200 hours, police were notified of an assault that occurred at the concert space of Pier 17 located at 89 South Street, within the confines of the 1st Precinct.
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“A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a 27-year-old male intentionally threw a cell phone at a 33-year-old female performer on stage, striking her about the face.
“The individual was taken into custody on scene and removed to the 1st Precinct for arrest processing. The aided female was removed by EMS to an area hospital in stable condition.”
On Monday (19 June), Bebe gave fans an update on her condition as she posted a picture of her wound and black eye on Instagram with the caption: “I’m good.”
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@beberexha / LinkedIn/Nick Malvagna