Abigail Holbrook

Introduction

Abigail Holbrook is a 27-year-old woman from Philadelphia who was arrested and charged with two counts of felony assault after police said she attacked two horse-carriage drivers in Central Park on November 10, 2026 — striking one across the face and shoulder with her skateboard and punching a second man. The confrontation was filmed by one of the drivers, and the footage circulated nationally after the New York Post and other outlets posted it the following day, when police announced the charges. Holbrook, who has no prior arrest history according to the NYPD, shouted at the men during the dispute that they were “animal abusers” and declared, “Y’all will know my f–ing name.” The charges are accusations; she has not been tried and is presumed innocent.

Background Information

Holbrook is a Philadelphia resident, 27 years old at the time of her arrest, and police told WABC that she had no prior arrest history before this case. During the confrontation she identified herself on camera as “Squid the Kid,” a name she shouted at the drivers while accusing them of animal abuse. The incident took place near the Central Park horse-carriage stands weeks after the New York City Council passed a bill — dubbed “Romanch’s Law,” for 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan, who was thrown to his death from a carriage that July — that bans horse-drawn carriages in the city by 2028, a fight that has put the drivers and animal-rights groups in open conflict.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Holbrook faces two counts of felony assault for the November 10, 2026 confrontation in Central Park. Everything below comes from police statements and video of the incident as described in coverage by the New York Post and WABC — allegations she has not answered in court, and no public statement or attorney for Holbrook was reported in the coverage reviewed for this page.

According to the NYPD, officers responded to a 911 call shortly after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10, near West Drive and 59th Street in Central Park, where they learned that two 45-year-old men — horse-carriage drivers working the stands — had been in a verbal dispute with a 27-year-old woman. Police said the woman struck one of the men in the face and shoulder with a skateboard and punched the second man in the face; both suffered minor injuries and declined medical attention at the scene. The drivers’ union, TWU Local 100, released video of the confrontation recorded by one of the drivers.

The footage shows Holbrook unleashing a tirade about “animal abuse” at the drivers, telling them, “You’re animal abusers! Horses do not do well in New York City. They are very sensitive to light and noise,” and announcing, “I’m Squid the Kid, bro. Y’all will know my f–ing name,” according to the Post’s account of the video. When a second driver made a muffled comment, she swung her longboard as a weapon — bashing him in the shoulder and face, per police and the footage. The driver grabbed the skateboard away from her, prompting her to demand, “Give me my board back!” while he hollered at her to get away; she recovered the board and screamed at the man filming, “You’re an animal abuser, are you proud of this?!” — then appeared to rip his camera away as he shouted, “Call 911!”

Holbrook was arrested and charged with two counts of felony assault, one for each driver, police said Wednesday, November 11 — the same day the video went viral. She is also accused of punching the second driver in the face, according to the NYPD account. No charges beyond the two assault counts were reported in the coverage reviewed.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The carriage industry’s union responded within hours. “This is outrageous and unacceptable,” said Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100. “We need a more visible police presence for our members at horse-carriage stands in the park to protect against these wackos. This is their place of work and people are coming just to harass and attack them. All workers deserve to be safe at work.” Christina Hansen, a TWU Local 100 shop steward who said she witnessed the incident and called police, blamed animal-rights rhetoric for the attack: “This is what you get when the City Council Speaker praises and poses for photos with extremist organizations like PETA and NYCLASS, whose leaders have lied and vilified us as animal abusers for decades. Their followers, who don’t know a thing about horses, have been brainwashed by these groups’ propaganda and emboldened to lash out.” The video spread widely across social media and national outlets on November 11, drawing condemnation of the attack from commenters across the political spectrum.

Current Status

Holbrook has been charged with two counts of felony assault and, per police, has no prior arrest history. No arraignment date, bail status, or attorney of record was reported in the coverage reviewed for this page, and Holbrook has not made any public statement beyond her on-camera tirade; the charges remain accusations she has not answered in court. The two injured drivers declined medical treatment at the scene and their injuries were described as minor. The case landed amid the city’s running fight over the carriage industry’s future, with the union treating the attack as evidence that drivers need protection at the stands even as the ban’s 2028 phase-out proceeds.

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 27, with no prior arrests on her record, Holbrook now carries two felony assault charges carrying potential state prison exposure, a criminal court case in Manhattan, and a name she told the drivers would be known — now attached, across national coverage, to a skateboard attack on working carriage drivers rather than to any animal-rights advocacy. For the drivers, the union is using the case to demand a more visible police presence at the carriage stands, and Hansen’s statement ties the attack directly to the heated rhetoric of the ban fight that will define the industry’s remaining years in the park.

Sources

• “Wild video shows crazed animal rights activist smack NYC horse carriage driver in face with skateboard — New York Post” source
• “Abigail Holbrook charged in Central Park carriage driver assault — ABC7 New York” source
• “@nypost on X: Wild video shows crazed animal rights activist smack NYC horse carriage driver in face with skateboard” source