Ben Schettler, the president and co-founder of the Center for Truth in Love, found himself the target of a leftist mob in New York City for the crime of his faith in Jesus Christ.
On Thursday, Schettler posted to social media platform X about events that had taken place the night before. Schettler had a table set up to speak to people passing by, and for that, he was beaten.
“Last night I was assaulted in New York City. I was cursed at, pushed around, and beaten. An unfortunate day that ended with an ambulance ride to the ER. I was surround by a mob. I was hit at least four different times that we can count by three different people. And I dodged a few other blows. At another point, I was surrounded by several people and I got hit across the face, a sucker punch from behind me,” he wrote.
“I did sustain a very hard blow to the head. As a survivor of a traumatic brain injury, we are praying this hit will not bring permanent damage. I do have some blurred vision, extreme light sensitivity, and severe eye pain right now.”
He listed the positions he was defending that his attackers apparently could not tolerate.
“Why would someone do this? It was simply because I would dare to have a discussion with them and hold opinions like, ‘the Bible is 100% true’ or ‘atheism isn’t logical’ or ‘pre-born babies should be allowed to live.’” He concluded by asking his followers to “please pray for healing.”
Last night I was assaulted in New York City.
I was cursed at, pushed around, and beaten. An unfortunate day that ended with an ambulance ride to the ER.
I was surround by a mob. I was hit at least four different times that we can count by three different people. And I dodged a… pic.twitter.com/OkuPPcUu1p
— Benjamin Schettler (@BenSchettler) May 21, 2026
Schettler also posted footage of his interaction with several people following him. One woman mocked him in what could be taken as a call to put his life in danger, saying, “We got the new Charlie Kirk over here,” in a reference to the late Turning Point USA founder who was assassinated last September.
I was attacked in NYC Park pic.twitter.com/bePHl3mVLY
— Benjamin Schettler (@BenSchettler) May 21, 2026
His wife, Makenzie, gave another update about his health.
“Ben was assaulted and robbed in Washington Square Park yesterday. He was struck multiple times and one person ran off with his phone. Ben was taken by ambulance to the ER. I was able to be on speaker phone last night while Ben was in the ER and the doctor diagnosed him with a concussion.”
“The doctor told us that he hopes Ben’s concussion symptoms will be temporary but there is no guarantee. He also said that this concussion may worsen Ben’s existing TBI issues — our biggest fear,” she continued.
“For those of you who are not aware, ten years ago, Ben had a serious cycling accident that forever changed his life. The results of that injury were nerve damage to his eyes. He has extreme sensitivity to light and movement,” she added about her husband’s medical history.
“I spoke with Ben this morning and although overall he feels good, he said he does have some blurry vision, pain in the neck, throat, and head.”
She ended the post providing an update that his cell phone was found by police with footage of the attack, hopefully allowing law enforcement to track down the assailants. “UPDATE as I was writing this — the detective called and they were able to retrieve Ben’s phone from the ecoATM.”
“He said it is extremely rare that a stolen phone is recovered. We are thankful as it has footage of Ben’s attack on it and will further aid the investigation.”
Update from Makenzie – Thank you to everyone who prayed for Ben and reached out to help yesterday. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for your prayers, help, and genuine concern for Ben.
For a detailed account of what happened yesterday in NYC, be on the lookout for an official… pic.twitter.com/j1R87N6XPO
— Benjamin Schettler (@BenSchettler) May 21, 2026
God bless this man for his courage and faithfulness.
We must all pray for his health, peace, and recovery.
New York is a wicked place.
Had Schettler been Muslim, Mayor Zohran Mamdani would have declared a city-wide emergency.
The Christian will find no such urgency from elected officials.
Jesus’ words are timeless in His reminder about how the world will treat us — they revile us, they curse us, and they wish death upon us. Remember, this is how they treated Him.
John 15:18-19 says, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
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