Millionaire investment banker Jonathan Kaye was threatened, anti-Semitic slurs and doused with a mysterious liquid moments before he was filmed punching a woman at a Brooklyn Pride parade, a source with knowledge of the incident told DailyMail.com.
Insiders close to the 52-year-old banker claim the viral clip does not capture Saturday’s full clash, which began when a group of four female “Queers for Palestine” supporters allegedly mocked Kaye — who is Jewish — as he returned from dinner.
Kaye allegedly told the group they were “on the wrong side,” prompting the women to act against him, the source said.
Jonathan Kaye was recorded throwing a vicious punch at the unnamed woman during a parade in Brooklyn on Saturday night, although no official investigation has been launched by the NYPD.
A source with knowledge of the incident said the viral clip does not tell the whole story, which they say began when a group of Queers for Palestine supporters attacked Kaye as he left dinner. Pictured: Kaye’s injuries
“You could say he took the initiative, but he didn’t,” a source told DailyMail.com.
‘He just said, ‘You’re on the wrong side,’ and then all four of them came at him – throwing liquids at him. He didn’t know what the liquid was. They shouted insults at him.
‘He fell or got hit in the chest, and I can’t remember that part. But he ended up on the sidewalk with the four of them above him.
“He stood up and waved at someone as he tried to escape, then ran away.”
They also claim that the footage shows Kaye covered in liquid, with a mark on his back, in the now viral video.
Photos obtained by DailyMail.com show Kaye’s clothes soaked in a red liquid, which he believes to be Gatorade, and blood pooling around his ankle after he was pushed to the ground.
Kaye was recorded throwing a punch at the unnamed woman during a pride parade in Brooklyn on Saturday night, although no official investigation has been launched by the NYPD.
Posters with his face, home address and cell phone number were plastered near his $4 million, four-bedroom mansion in expensive Park Slope as neighbors rioted, demanding the father of three be arrested.
The source defended the banker, who works as a Managing Director at Moelis & Company, a leading investment bank with offices in Midtown Manhattan, saying the whole thing was “super anti-Semitic.”
Photos obtained by DailyMail.com show Kaye’s clothes soaked in a red liquid, which he thinks is Gatorade, and blood pooling around his ankle after he was pushed to the ground
Kaye’s bloodied ankle after the incident
Kaye, 52, was filmed on Saturday throwing a vicious overhand right hand at an unnamed woman in Brooklyn – where he also lives in a four-bedroom mansion in expensive Park Slope, worth just over $4 million.
They added: ‘You can clearly see in the video, if you slow down, he is wet because they threw liquids at him.
‘That video clip was cut and doesn’t show everything. He’s never had one problem in his life, never been arrested or anything.
‘It was a super anti-Semitic attack by four individuals who acted together against one Jewish man. It completely traumatized him.”
Kaye is currently under investigation by the bank, with a spokesperson confirming his identity and adding that they are taking the images and allegations seriously. No official report has been filed with the NYPD yet, although they are aware of the footage.
The clip shows the woman being thrown to the ground by the force of the blow, while an onlooker rushes to her aid in vain.
Others watching call Kaye an ‘asshole’ and tell him to ‘fuck himself’ – which catches his attention for a moment before he abruptly walks away.
Kaye, who lives with his wife, owns several properties in the street, which he rents to neighbors.
One said she was ‘shocked’ when she saw the footage this morning, adding that the father-of-three always seemed ‘normal’ even though she normally spoke to his wife.
Another neighbor described scenes of chaos on the usually quiet street last night as the victim’s friends ran back and forth shouting that Kaye had attacked a woman.
The banker, seen here triumphantly turning in the aftermath of the attack, works as a Managing Director at Moelis & Company, a leading investment bank with offices in Midtown Manhattan
A Brooklyn banker’s wealthy neighborhood is in turmoil after he was seen punching a woman in a viral video
The banker lives in a $4 million, four-bedroom mansion in expensive Park Slope.
Kaye had barricaded himself in his home on Monday morning, but an unknown man wearing a hoodie and sunglasses sneaked into the property.
He said he didn’t live there, but didn’t say what he did. Neighbors yelled at Kaye’s children as they entered the front door.
Kaye works as a Managing Director at Moelis & Company, a leading investment bank with offices in Midtown Manhattan. The company has initiated an investigation into the incident, a spokesperson previously confirmed to DailyMail.com.
Earlier on Monday, a May 2023 podcast interview with the Wall Street executive surfaced in which the married father of three revealed that he mentors junior bankers and identified the skills he believes are crucial to a successful career.
Kaye told me LSE Focal Point podcast that a successful person demonstrates ’empathy’, ‘understands’ others and has good decision-making skills, including ‘managing your reputation’.
Kaye is partner director and head of business services at Moelis.
In his current role, he oversees ten verticals within Moelis’ Business Services group, leading ‘a dedicated team of bankers and… an extensive network of relationships with both strategic companies and private equity investors’, according to his profile on the Moelis website.
He also serves on the company’s management committee, demonstrating his stature in the financial industry, and does “a fair amount of mentoring” with junior associates, Kaye told the podcast.