During last week's protest at Columbia University, an image went viral of a custodian fighting back against the "angry mob" of demonstrators who succeed in briefly taking over Hamilton Hall.
In an exclusive interview with The Free Press this week, custodian Mario Torres told reporter Francesca Block of his ordeal.
"We don't expect to go to work and get swarmed by an angry mob with rope and duct tape and masks and gloves," he said.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators broke into Hamilton Hall at Columbia University and renamed it Hind's Hall. Hind's refers to Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old who was killed during an Israeli airstrike in January. The demonstrators were calling on the university to divest from all companies doing business with Israel.
"They came from both sides of the staircases. They came through the elevators, and they were just rushing. It was just like, they had a plan." Torres told The Free Press that protesters with zip ties, duct tape, and masks "just multiplied and multiplied."
The New York Police Department stormed Hamilton Hall on the night of April 30 and made 109 arrests. While the NYPD is still working to determine how many of those were students, New York Mayor Eric Adams told reporters Columbia's break-in was "led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university."
The photo seen around the world showed Torres, 45, grappling with protester James Carlson. Later it was revealed that Carlson is a 40-year-old who lives off a trust fund and owns a Brooklyn townhouse worth $2.3 million. The average janitor at Columbia makes less than $19 an hour, The Free Press noted.
Torres has not been back to Columbia since the ordeal, saying he doesn't feel safe. "When it comes to the public safety, the worker's safety, people don't feel comfortable walking through a mob to punch in to get into campus. That's crazy," he added.
On Monday, Columbia announced it would be canceling the main commencement ceremony over "security concerns."
Torres told The Free Press that he was concerned Columbia could fire him for speaking out.
"Is Columbia going to retaliate and find a reason to fire me? Is someone going to come after me? So I'm taking a big risk doing this, but I think they failed. They failed us," he said.