Jonathan Majors arrest: why was Ant-Man, Creed actor arrested in New York - what has been said

Jonathan Majors has been arrested in New York City.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Marvel star Jonathan Majors is facing further abuse claims and the alleged victims are said to be working with the authorities, according to a new report.

The Hollywood actor was arrested on charges of strangulation, assault and harassment in New York in March. He was arraigned in a New York City court on 26 March. His representatives confirmed the arrest but denied any wrongdoing by the star.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He has been dropped by his management and PR firm this week amid reports his role as Kang the Conqueror could be recast by Marvel. The actor is now facing further abuse claims, Variety reports, and the alleged victims are co-operating with the New York District Attorney.

Officers responded around 11am to a 911 call from an apartment in the Manhattan neighbourhood of Chelsea. Majors was no longer longer in custody on Saturday night, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press.

Majors is one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood. After breaking through in 2019’s The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Majors has starred in Da 5 Bloods, The Harder They Fall and last year’s Devotion. He also stars in the recent Sundance Film Festival entry Magazine Dreams, which Searchlight Pictures is to release in December, and is expected to be an Oscar contender.

He has also taken on the role of Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the new grand villain in the vein of Thanos. Majors has appeared in Loki as well as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.

What have police said about the arrest?

Jonathan Majors attends the "Creed III" European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on February 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)Jonathan Majors attends the "Creed III" European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on February 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)
Jonathan Majors attends the "Creed III" European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on February 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department said: “The victim informed police she was assaulted. Officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident.

“The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in a stable condition.”

Majors was arraigned on Sunday on a complaint involving misdemeanour charges for assault and aggravated harassment, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said. He was scheduled to appear in court on 8 May.

How has Majors representatives responded?

A representative for Majors denied any wrongdoing by the actor. “He has done nothing wrong,” said the representative. “We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A lawyer for Majors, Priya Chaudhry, came out more forcefully on Sunday, saying Majors “is provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows” and blamed the incident on the woman having “an emotional crisis”. Ms Chaudhry said there was evidence clearing Majors, including “video footage from the vehicle where this episode took place, witness testimony from the driver and others who both saw and heard the episode, and most importantly, two written statements from the woman recanting these allegations”.

Majors facing further abuse claims

Variety reports that sources familiar with the matter have said that multiple alleged abuse victims have come forward following Majors arrest. They are said to be co-operating with the district attorney’s office in Manhattan. The D.A. declined comment.

“Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated,” said Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry in a statement.

Jonathan Majors dropped by firms

The US Army suspended its TV advertising campaign featuring Majors that was intended to target younger audiences. The Army Enterprise Marketing Office said in a statement on Sunday that the US Army is “deeply concerned by the allegations surrounding his arrest”. “While Mr Majors is innocent until proven guilty, prudence dictates that we pull our ads until the investigation into these allegations is complete,” the office said in a statement.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He was also dropped by his management firm, Manager Entertainment 360, and PR firm on 17 April. It comes as he has reportedly been removed from projects such as an Otis Reading

Alleged victim ‘taken to hospital’

TMZ, who broke the story, said that the woman who reported the assault to the police was taken to hospital for treatment. The website reports the alleged victim “had visible injuries -- including a laceration behind her ear, redness and marks to her face”. She was reportedly taken to hospital and is in a “stable condition”.

More to follow.

Related topics: