More details have emerged about the New Jersey man who threw a phone at singer Bebe Rexha during her New York concert Sunday — including why he did it in the first place.
Concertgoer and New Jersey resident Nicolas Malvagna was arraigned Monday in New York City for several misdemeanor assault and harassment charges a day after he allegedly threw his phone at the “I’m Good” singer. In a New York court criminal complaint reviewed Tuesday by The Times, Malvagna, 27, allegedly said he hurled his device at the stage for entertainment.
“I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny,” Malvagna said, according to the complaint.
The impact caused Rexha “redness, swelling, bruising, and a laceration to her eye and substantial pain,” the complaint added.
A legal representative for Malvagna did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times’ request for comment.
Malvagna was released on his own recognizance and was ordered to stay away from Rexha, who received a full temporary order of protection, the Manhattan district attorney said. He will next appear in court July 31.
Rexha, 33, whose legal name is Bleta Rexha, became the latest target of unruly concertgoer behavior Sunday night during a New York stop on her Best F*n Night of My Life tour. While the “Meant to Be” singer was performing at the Rooftop at Pier 17, a concertgoer hurled his phone at her and hit her right in the face, according to footage posted on Twitter.
After the phone made contact with her face, the Brooklyn-born performer stopped singing and went down to her knees as her team and concert crew came onstage to check on her. Another Twitter video shared Sunday evening showed Rexha covering her eye and being escorted away from the stage by a medical team.
She was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition and received stitches above her bruised left eyebrow, which she showed off in an Instagram post Monday.
“Im good,” the singer reassured fans in the caption.
The Grammy-nominated musician kept a positive outlook on the incident, touting in an Instagram story Tuesdsay that she’s “still making a black eye sexy lolol.”
The “In the Name of Love” artist also looked back at the Sunday concert with a collection of photos and a video shared on Instagram. Rexha can be seen dancing in a pink corset and sequin bodysuit and hyping up her New York crowd.
“Although the show ended in an unfortunate way it was still an amazing show in my hometown,” she captioned her post. “Thank you so Much New York. I love You.”
Rexha has been on the road promoting her latest album “Bebe.” She comes to the Wiltern in Los Angeles on June 30.
