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Nicolas Malvagna: NJ concertgoer arrested for throwing phone at Bebe Rexha thought ‘it would be funny’

Bebe Rexha was hit in the face with a phone at a Sunday, June 18 concert in New York which left her with significant injury

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A 27-year-old concertgoer has been arrested in connection to a cellphone attack on Bebe Rexha at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City on Sunday, June 18. Nicolas Malvagna from New Jersey, reportedly threw the device from the audience and subsequently injured the 33-year-old 'I’m Good (Blue)' singer in the face. Rexha collapsed to the floor and later received stitches above her left eye after she was taken to the hospital. 

Now, a copy of the assailant's arraignment has been received by news outlets, which contains details about the alleged attack. As per the complaint, Malvagna told an NYPD officer at the scene, "I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny," as per The Independent. 

What are the charges that Malvagna is facing?

Malvagna faces two charges of assault, one charge of aggravated harassment, one charge of attempted assault, and one charge of harassment. He is due to appear in court on July 31. The New Jersey native works at a luxury dog kennel, named K9 Resorts in East Brunswick, Daily Mail reported. 

The owner of the kennel issues a statement

"I understand one of our employees was attending the Bebe Rexha concert on his personal time", Judy Gorski, the owner of the kennel told the outlet. “I was shocked to learn of his arrest. My staff and I do not condone violence in any form, regardless of intent, and this action does not align with our values as a company.”

What happened to Rexha at the concert?

In a video that has now gone viral, the songwriter of Eminem's single 'The Monster' can be seen coming close in on the front of the stage when a phone flew in through the air and smacked her in the face. "This is Bebe Rexha being rushed out of the concert venue here in NYC after someone threw a f***ing phone and hit her face as she was leaving the stage", another concertgoer wrote after sharing a video of the singer being attended to by medics.

Rexha was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 2018. Earlier this year, her most recent album, Bebe was released. 

Rexha's upcoming living performances

Rexha is scheduled to perform four more dates on her ongoing tour. It includes her live performance at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, at The Fillmore Silver Spring in Silver Spring, Maryland, at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, and at the Hard Rock Live Orlando in Orlando, Florida.

5 times celebs were publicly humiliated 

However, this is not the first time the show organizers have turned furtive to such possible outcomes. Time and again, performers have been subjected to such vulnerable instances, courtesy of some lunatic fringe who attend the show. Here are 5 instances celebrities got humiliated in front of everyone.

Fans throw multiple water bottles at Kid Cudi 

Kid Cudi headlined the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami by replacing his frenemy Kanye West last year in Miami. However, it was cut short after the crowd threw multiple water bottles at him. Cudi was performing the fourth song of his set, 'REVOFEV' when what seemed to be a bottle thrown from the crowd hit him square in the face. “Yo, I will walk off this stage if you all throw one more f***ing thing up here, I will leave, I will leave right now,” he said after the impact. “Throw one more f***ing thing on this stage and I’ll walk off, I’m not f***ing playing. I’m not f***ing playing, you will ruin it for everybody. I’ll f***ing leave If I get hit with one more f***ing thing, if I see one more f***ing thing on this fucking stage, I’m leaving. Don’t f**k with me.” His warning did not seem to bother the assailants as he was forced to walk off the stage after another water bottle was thrown at Cudi almost immediately.

Will Smith's infamous Chris Rock slap at 2022 Oscars

Actor Will Smith walked onstage during the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, and smacked comedian Chris Rock across the face during Rock's presentation for Best Documentary Feature. The incident took place due to Rock's joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head, which she had been shaving since 2021 due to alopecia areata.

Harry Styles hit with water bottle on stage

A video went viral last year which showed Harry Style being hit by a water bottle while he was on stage while performing in Chicago last year. The singer was in the middle of his performance at the United Center when, suddenly, out of nowhere a person from the audience threw a bottle which directly hit Harry’s crotch. However, Styles did not react and instead took a moment's pause and said, “Well, that’s unfortunate.” He then shook his leg and added, “OK, shake it off.”

Fan throws lemon at Ariana Grande

Someone in the crowd threw an actual lemon at Ariana Grande during weekend 2 of Coachella in 2019. During the second round of her highly anticipated, four-costume-change set, the singer was forced to stop mid-performance after getting hit by a flying lemon. She can be heard saying, "That’s cause one of y’all threw a lemon at me, sh*t", as she steps offstage in multiple clips that have surfaced.

Fan slaps Beyonce's butt during Denmark gig

A male fan of Beyonce lost his mind during the music legend's concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, and advanced to slap the singer's buttocks during her performance of 'Irreplaceable'. The 'Single Ladies' singer walked down to the front of the stage to interact with fans, and as she turned around, the person carried his inappropriate actions. "I will have you escorted out right now, all right?" the superstar warned as she continued to carry on the performance.