MAGA influencer and boyfriend wanted over alleged ‘racial assault’ in London are ‘no longer in the UK’ – as police say they will ‘continue efforts’ to speak to couple from across the Atlantic
A MAGA influencer and her boyfriend wanted over an alleged racist attack in London are ‘no longer in the UK’, police have said.
The couple, identified by the Daily Mail as Philip Ostermann and Melissa Rein Lively, left the country before British Transport Police issued their appeal last week.
Mr Ostermann, a deputy director of a Munich-based private equity firm called Aequita, is believed to have left the UK on October 14, while Ms Rein Lively, 40, left ten days later.
She is a political consultant and public relations expert who ran for the White House press secretary post during Trump’s second term before the president chose Karoline Leavitt last year.
Officers said they would ‘continue to make efforts to contact and speak to them’ before deciding on the next steps in their investigation.
The statement comes after a family claimed they had been racially abused and attacked in central London on Saturday (October 11).
In a photo published on social media by a senior police officer, an argument broke out after a baby carriage hit a woman at Bond Street station at 19.30.
A spokesman for British Transport Police said: ‘Officers launched a series of inquiries to identify the man and woman after the incident was reported to police, followed by a media appeal which sparked a significant response.
Police have released this photo of two people they want to speak to after a family was allegedly racially abused and assaulted in central London (image blurred at source by British Transport Police)
Miss Melissa Rein Lively shared this photo on Instagram in which she wore the same outfit as the woman in the BTP photo in London.
‘Based on the research carried out to date, we believe the man and woman are not UK residents.
‘Officers believe the man left the UK on Tuesday 14 October and the woman on Friday 24 October, before our media appeal was issued.
We are continuing our efforts to contact and speak with them and from there we will determine the next steps of the investigation.
‘We are in contact with the victim and his family and are keeping them regularly informed as the investigation continues.’
The West End is a well-known burglary hotspot where many crimes remain unsolved, but detectives released an image of the pair in a bid to solve an alleged attack almost a month ago.
The argument broke out when a woman, her sister and two young children, one of whom was in a stroller, were walking towards Bond Street station when they were allegedly harassed when the car hit the woman walking in front.
A man walking with the woman then turned around and started yelling at the family.
When the victim tried to defend himself, the man pulled out a small bottle, claiming it was pepper spray, and sprayed it in the family’s direction, police said.
Ms. Rein Lively has spoken publicly about showing her support for President Trump with her “face” by adopting the “MAGA look” of blonde hair, veneers, and Botox.
He made headlines in 2020 when he filmed himself throwing masks away at a store during the pandemic.
The couple was identified online as Philip Ostermann and Melissa Rein Lively, who were photographed together in Venice in April. According to online sleuths, she appears to be wearing the same shoes and bracelets as in the photo released by police.
Melissa Rein Lively, 40, poses at a hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, for a recent film about women wearing what’s known as the ‘MAGA look’, with their faces supporting the US president.
Last month, she posted a photo on Instagram outside Sotheby’s auction house on Bond Street, wearing the same outfit as the woman in the BTP photo, with the caption: ‘With love from London.’ He has since deleted his account.
Mr Ostermann was listed to speak at a private equity conference held at the stately home in Syon Park, near Heathrow, on October 14.
He was part of a panel discussion titled ‘Ensuring operational resilience and driving growth through strong cash management’.
In 2020, images of Ms. Rein Lively, which made headlines last year, went viral and showed her destroying face masks.
Trolls called her ‘Rolex Karen’.
The high-flying PR executive claimed she was ‘cured’ by QAnon and her ‘entire worldview collapsed’ after she stumbled upon the online conspiracy theory group on yoga and wellness pages.
Participating in Finding Q, a podcast by British journalist Nicky Woolf that explores the shadowy person behind the movement, the artist said that he felt suicidal after joining the group and that the tension created by this experience took ’20 years off his life’.
‘I know it’s really easy to look this in the face and say, ‘These people are stupid,’ but I’m telling you it’s one of the most well-produced, well-written, very plausible things, and I realize there’s a huge industry for conspiracy theories.’
‘I definitely call this a cult in every way,’ he said. ‘It completely destroyed me, collapsed my world view and sent me to a psychiatric assessment centre.
‘I never thought I would be in this situation as a successful person in my life and it hit rock bottom.’
