Viral TikToker arrested after tearing down Greek flags thinking they were Israeli

TikToker @Ambamelia, who went viral after she filmed herself tearing down Greek flags thinking they were Israeli, was arrested and charged with bias and intimidation, police and media outlets reported over the past week.

New Jersey resident Amber Matthews, 23, was reportedly charged for her actions against Efi’s Gyro restaurant. 

The 23-year-old social media user, with 12,000 followers, posted the footage of her mistaken rampage on a Greek restaurant’s decor on October 15 - not knowing that police had been investigating the incident without leads since March.

Remember the TikToker who “mistook” the Greek flag for an Israeli one?The video, as absurd as it seems, was not a skit.Amber Matthews, 23, was charged with bias and intimidation for ripping down the Greek flags in her ludicrous blunder.pic.twitter.com/yjtfZgwSaz

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 25, 2024

The gyro restaurant owner had reportedly filed a police complaint after an unknown woman tore down the restaurant decor and began screaming about genocide - insisting, “It’s nothing against people who are Jewish, but this is not okay.” 

Matthews’s video quickly went viral, amassing over 9 million views, according to the Jewish Chronicle. This provided police with the information needed to make the arrest. 

The restaurant’s owner confirmed to the New York Post that the attack on her restaurant was not a skit.

The 23-year-old will appear at Superior Court in Newark on December 3. 

“Montclair is a community that strives to treat all individuals with dignity and respect,” Police Chief Todd Conforti said. “I hope this investigation sends a clear message that our agency will not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination, and offenders will be held accountable for their actions.”

Local reactions

Matthews’s blunder gained notoriety both online and offline. Locals told the New York Post that she made “herself look like one of the dumbest people on earth.”

Natalie Lee, owner of Mikki & Al’s Noshery, a Kosher deli in Montclair, told the Post, “If you’re going to make that kind of statement, at least know your flag. I cannot imagine that someone is that uneducated that they don’t know the difference. What she did … you made people believing in their cause look like idiots. It clearly was done for likes, that’s it.”

While some residents noted that Matthew was entitled to her opinion, they insisted, “She shouldn’t be speaking for the whole city of Montclair. Tensions are high everywhere.”

Others accused Matthews of being “small-minded” - claiming that her actions “really [show] her ignorance and stupidity.”