Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- March 30, 2024
- Targets
- Javier Soriano (Independent)
- Arrest Status
- Arrested and released
- Arresting Authority
- New York City Police Department
- Charges
-
-
Blocking traffic: pedestrians on roadways
- March 30, 2024: Charges pending
- May 2, 2024: Charges dropped
-
Blocking traffic: pedestrians on roadways
- Unnecessary use of force?
- No
Arrest/Criminal Charge
Independent photojournalist Javier Soriano, center, was arrested and charged with walking in the roadway while reporting on a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City on March 30, 2024. He is set to face trial on the charge in May.
Charges dropped against independent photojournalist arrested at NYC protest
The charge against independent photojournalist Javier Soriano was dropped during a bench trial on May 2, 2024, Soriano told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
Soriano was arrested by New York Police Department officers while covering a pro-Palestinian protest in Manhattan in March. The journalist told the Tracker that he opted to move forward with a bench trial and on May 3 he confirmed that the judge had dismissed his case.
Independent photojournalist Javier Soriano was arrested while covering a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City on March 30, 2024, according to social media posts and court records reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
In a post on social media, Soriano wrote that he was arrested by New York Police Department officers while covering a “Land Day” march from Manhattan’s City Hall Park to Union Square to commemorate a deadly 1976 protest in Israel over the seizure of Palestinian land.
The photojournalist could clearly be seen wearing press credentials at the time of his arrest in a photo captured by Neil Constantine, a photojournalist for the monthly newspaper The Indypendent.
Soriano was charged with walking in the roadway, according to court records. He told the Tracker that he opted to move forward with a trial during his initial appearance hearing on April 18, but declined to comment further. His bench trial is scheduled for May 2.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
