Manhattan college professor who went viral for verbally assaulting anti-abortion students before holding a machete to the neck of a New York Post reporter on Tuesday has been fired.
Shellyne Rodriguez threatened to “chop up” the reporter who knocked on the door of her apartment in the Bronx on Tuesday morning, the day after she went viral for unleashing a verbal tirade on pro-life students at Hunter College. The school has now confirmed the art professor has been “relieved of her duties”.
In the video the art professor shouted: “Get the **** away from my door, or I’m gonna chop you up with this machete!” seconds after The Post reporter Reuven Fenton made himself known. Moments later Rodriguez burst through her door and held the blade against the reporter’s neck.
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She repeatedly said “Get the **** away from my door!”. She then retreated back into her apartment, slamming the door as she went.
Fenton and the photographer left the apartment building promptly, only for an armed Rodriguez to follow and hound them outside, claimed the New York Post.
“If I see you on this block one more ***king time, you’re gonna …,” Rodriguez said, while still holding the blade.
“Get the **** off the block! Get the **** out of here, yo!”
The Post’s photographer was momentarily chased by the professor down the street to his car before she re-emerged to kick the reporter in the shins. Rodriguez finally returned to her building moments later.
A spokesman for Hunter College, Vince DiMiceli, informed The Post on Tuesday afternoon that she had been fired.
“Hunter College strongly condemns the unacceptable actions of Shellyne Rodriguez and has taken immediate action. Rodriguez has been relieved of her duties at Hunter College effective immediately, and will not be returning to teach at the school.”
The incident took place after a video emerged of Rodriguez verbally assaulting anti-abortion students that had set up an information table at Hunter College earlier this month.
She yelled: “You’re not educating ****. This is ****ing propaganda.”
“What are you going to do, like, anti-trans next?”
A male student stood behind the table responded: “I mean, no, we’re talking about abortion”, before apologising for “triggering” her students.
Rodriguez harshly responded, telling him he couldn’t be sorry “because you can’t even have a ***ing baby.”
The professor can also be seen throwing the students’ pamphlets in the video, which was posted to Twitter by Students for Life of America.
A New York Police Department spokesperson said the incident is still under investigation.
