A California realtor named Sydney La Day is considering legal action after being falsely accused of stealing a $1000 ring at a Pilates studio.
La Day revealed she was embarrassed by the incident that unfolded inside a Hotworx studio in Belmont when she was unexpectedly accused of theft by an employee.
In a TikTok video that has since gone viral, La Day recorded the interaction between her and Neil, who happens to be an employee of the chain.
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The California realtor falsely accused says Neil racially profiled her and being accused of theft is one she didn’t see coming.
La Day told Kron4 that Neil had texted her saying she was caught on camera stealing a $1,000 ring.
Text messages reportedly sent the outlet show Neil saying: ‘A member lost a ring yesterday. Did you see one it was where you were working out?’
La Day then responds: ‘Oh no, I didn’t have one ring. I can ask my friend if she did.’
He then asks: ‘I told you we have security cameras covering everything. I’m the only one who knows about this right now. Are you sure there is no ring where you grab your green pants?
Neil continues: ‘I have you on camera taking the ring and putting it in your pants. If you bring the ring back by 7 PM today nothing else will happen. That ring is definitely over $1000 which makes stealing it a felony.’
‘[He was] basically trying to bait me into confessing I stole this person’s ring’, La Day said to the outlet.
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The California realtor then appeared at the studio with her sister and friend to see the video and what truth came with it.
On her TikTok, La Day can be seen approaching Neil who begins to apologize and explain how it all unfolded: ‘Someone lost a ring yesterday, and I am sorry for accusing you’, before La Day interrupts him.
Neil then took her through the surveillance video to show her how and why he believed she stole the ring.
The shop employee said: ‘I looked through the whole footage from that day and this is the only time anybody got near that cubby.’
One of her entourage said: ‘It was almost as if you were trying to bait her into saying I took the ring, and that’s not what it is.’
Neil told the trio he noticed a “bulge” in La Day’s pants as she was leaving the studio, assuming it was the missing ring.
After some back-and-forth, he seemed to acknowledge that the footage didn’t actually show the ring being stolen, as the video ended before anything conclusive was captured.
@syduniversoul Part 2 We requested to speak with a manager, which was Neil’s father and the franchise owner. Thank you all for your support. I’m in complete disbelief and shock from this experience. During our Black History Month ✊???? #hotworx #pilates #pilatestiktok #blackhistorymonth #racialprofiling #discrimination #pwi #standup ♬ original sound – Syduniversoul
La Day described that scene, saying, “We’re in the front of the gym, in the lobby area, as he’s going through all this. People are coming and going, looking at me like I’m crazy!”
“Like, ‘Ooh, what is she doing?’ He’s telling them I stole this ring. It was humiliating.”
Minutes later, she received a call from the Hotworx manager, who told her the ring had been found. She also pointed out that the manager is Neil’s father.
“These microaggressions, this direct racial profiling, these racist actions are normal out here for me to deal with,” she stated.
La Day also claimed that the employee has been harassing her online, even creating fake profiles just to target her.
“I don’t want this looked under and brushed under the rug because it happens all the time,” she said.
“It’s going to turn into a much worse situation—he could have called the police, and what would have happened to me then?”
She has since sought help from her local NAACP branch, and reports indicate she’s considering legal action after the humiliation afforded her.
