Man Caught On Camera Yelling Racial Slurs At New York City Sanitation Worker

A man has apologized after he was caught on camera yelling racial slurs at a New York City sanitation worker.

In the video, the man, identified as 25-year-old Joseph O'Brien, was seen yelling at the worker to "get out of the middle of the street." He then goes on to yell racial slurs at the worker, using the N-word twice during the interaction. He then notices someone recording the incident. He steps out of his vehicle and marches toward the witness. He then snatches the phone out of the witness’ hand and throws the device across the street.

After the video went viral, O'Brien issued an apology.

"I don't see myself as racist at all, but that day I was racist. And that was completely uncalled for and not okay," O'Brien told NBC New York.

When asked if his apology was genuine, he adds, "I do feel genuine remorse. The last thing I want to do is make the community uncomfortable, that's why I want to make things right and I want to make things better."

Meanwhile, the person who recorded the incident told NBC New York that he filmed the incident so that O’Brien "be held accountable."

"Before I had even started to film, I went to the sanitation worker first just to ask if I heard was actually what he was saying, because I was in disbelief. It was just so unbelievable to see and hear this on a street in New York in 2020," the unidentified man, who captured the incident, told the outlet.

He went on to say that he is just doing what is right, saying, "I think to be anti-racist, you can't just be passive, you need to take a stand when they can't stand up for themselves," he said, adding that he hopes his actions "sends the message that we should look out for one another. When we see hate we should try to confront it."

The incident was being investigated by the New York Police Department.