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A longtime Upper East Side real estate agent is facing criminal charges after allegedly biting a 7-year-old girl during a chaotic scramble for a free T-shirt at a summer concert in East Hampton — a claim she strongly denies.
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Gail Bomze, a 75-year-old broker known for listing and selling some of Manhattan’s most expensive properties, including a Park Avenue townhouse for $22 million and Geraldo Rivera’s $4.1 million apartment, was arrested Tuesday by East Hampton police. She’s been charged with third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, Page Six was first to report.
The alleged incident took place during the “Tuesdays on Main” beach concert series — a family-friendly event hosted by the East Hampton Village Foundation — where, according to an arrest report reviewed by the outlet, a staff member tossed free T-shirts from a balcony, prompting a crowd surge.
In the commotion, a woman was reportedly seen “kicking and punching kids” while trying to grab a shirt. One child later told police the woman “grabbed her right arm and bit [it],” resulting in a bloody, swollen injury. The child’s parents alerted authorities, but the suspect had left the scene before officers arrived, according to the report.
Bomze was later identified and arrested. But through her attorney, she has issued a categorical denial.
“Ms. Bomze is a 75-year-old grandmother who categorically denies these allegations,” said her attorney, Christopher McGuire of McGuire, Palaez, Bennett and Belcastro. “She was knocked to the ground in the chaos by a group of teenagers during the T-shirt toss, leaving her sore and injured, and reported her concerns in writing to the event organizers the very next day.”
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He continued, “The organizers promptly called her, apologized, and assured her that changes would be made to improve safety. She has also met with police to raise her own concerns and asked that the incident be investigated.”
The East Hampton Village Foundation’s CEO, Bradford Billet, issued a statement emphasizing the event’s track record: “Tuesdays at Main has been a beloved, safe, and family-friendly concert series for more than five seasons, bringing together people of all ages without a single prior incident. We strongly condemn this alleged, isolated incident.”
Bomze, who has also made appearances on the Upper East Side social circuit and donated to organizations like the Central Park Conservancy, was released after being issued an appearance ticket.
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But she participated in a T-shirt toss?