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United Kingdom
Investment bank Moelis has placed Jonathan Kaye, one of its top employees, on leave as it investigates a video on social media that appears to show him punching a person during a New York City Pride event.
The short clip, posted on social media platform X, shows a man hitting another person in the face at a street corner before walking away. The post identified the man as Jonathan Kaye, a Managing Director at the Wall Street bank, and claimed the incident occurred at a Brooklyn Pride event over the weekend.
“We are aware that one of our employees was involved in a serious incident in Brooklyn on June 8. We take this matter very seriously, and this employee is on leave as we continue to conduct our investigation,” a spokesperson for Moelis said in a statement. The spokesperson confirmed that the person in the video was Kaye.
The video, which is only ten seconds long, does not show the events leading up to the incident. However, the back of Kaye’s jacket appears visibly wet in the footage, suggesting some prior altercation.
One person briefed on the matter stated that the incident occurred after four individuals with a Palestinian flag threw liquids on Kaye in response to him telling them they were “on the wrong side.”
In the ensuing scuffle, Kaye fell and injured his knee.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) is currently looking into the incident but had not received an official complaint as of Monday morning.
“The NYPD is aware of the video. We encourage anyone who has been a victim to file a police report.
There are currently no complaint reports on file,” a spokesperson for the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said in an email.
According to Moelis’s website, Kaye heads the global business services franchise and has worked in the investment banking industry for two decades.
Under Kaye’s leadership, the franchise “has become a recognized global leader having advised on over 100 transactions across the sector.”
Moelis, led by founder Ken Moelis, is one of the boutique investment banks that has gained market share from larger rivals in recent years. It is listed in New York and has a market capitalization of $4 billion.
The incident comes at a time when the financial sector is increasingly scrutinized for the behavior of its executives, both inside and outside the workplace.
