Amy Cooper charged in relation to a 2nd 911 call where she falsely accused a Black birdwatcher of trying to assault her
- Amy Cooper, a white woman who falsely called the police on a Black bird watcher in Central Park in May, is facing additional charges in relation to a previously undisclosed 911 call, according to Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.'s office.
- On Wednesday, Cooper was charged with a misdemeanor for Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree, after she falsely reported an assault.
- "As alleged in the complaint, Amy Cooper engaged in racist criminal conduct when she falsely accused a Black man of trying to assault her in a previously unreported second call with a 911 dispatcher," Vance's office said.
Amy Cooper, a white woman who called police on a Black birdwatcher at Central Park in New York, has been charged in connection with a second undisclosed fraudulent 911 call, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office said.
Cooper, 40, is has been charged with an additional misdemeanor for Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree, in connection with a previously unreported call Cooper made claiming that Black birder Christian Cooper — no relation — "tried to assault" her on May 25.
In July, Vance's office charged Amy Cooper with an initial count of filing a false report, which is considered a misdemeanor, and has a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison. In a statement to The New York Times at the time, Christian Cooper said he refused to participate in the case against her.
"On the one hand, she's already paid a steep price," Cooper said. "That's not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on."
With the revelation of this second call and new charges, Vance's office said it would work to "hold people who make false and racist 911 calls accountable. .... Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the police response to Ms. Cooper's hoax."
The false call that went viral
In response, Amy Cooper called authorities to say that Christian Cooper was threatening her.
"I'm going to tell them there's an African-American man threatening my life," she told him.
Christian Cooper filmed the incident and it went viral, sparking anger among viewers on social media.
After authorities arrived at the scene, Amy Cooper admitted her assault claims were false.
Vance's office released a statement Wednesday outlining the new charges.
"As alleged in the complaint, Amy Cooper engaged in racist criminal conduct when she falsely accused a Black man of trying to assault her in a previously unreported second call with a 911 dispatcher."
The District Attorney's office, the statement continued, aims to hold "Ms. Cooper accountable while healing our community, restoring justice, and deterring others from perpetuating this racist practice."