Sunny Hostin, co-host of ABC's "The View," is facing criticism after her son, Gabriel Hostin, was arrested for trespassing on June 16 in New Rochelle, New York. According to court records, police found Gabriel on the railroad tracks, violating no trespassing signs. After his arrest, Gabriel requested to call his mother, and police allowed the conversation.
Bodycam footage shows Sunny attempting to leverage her background as a former federal prosecutor and her son's educational achievements to persuade officers to drop the charge. She emphasized her son's lack of a criminal record and his role as a teacher. The officer informed her that the charge had been reduced from a misdemeanor to a violation, which does not create a criminal record but requires an appearance ticket.
Sunny arrived at the scene and requested that the violation be reduced to a warning, but the officer stated that he could not do so. Gabriel later claimed that his trespassing was an innocent mistake, asserting that the gate was open. Sunny has decided to represent her son in his case, arguing in a letter to the Assistant District Attorney that the circumstances do not warrant the charge. In response, the Metro-North Railroad police provided evidence showing that the no trespassing sign was visible near the open gates. Sunny has not publicly commented on the incident since it occurred.