Sunny Hostin’s attempt to keep her son from receiving a trespassing citation is now playing out publicly, with newly released bodycam footage showing “The View” co-host repeatedly highlighting her television career, legal background, and her son’s Harvard education while speaking with police.
Despite Hostin’s efforts, officers moved forward with citing 24-year-old Gabriel Hostin after he was allegedly found on active Metro-North Railroad property in Westchester County, New York. Police explained that the alleged offense could have resulted in an arrest but said they reduced it to a trespassing violation because Gabriel cooperated and was not standing directly between the rails.
The June 16 encounter began after officers reportedly spotted Gabriel on the railroad right-of-way near New Rochelle.
Bodycam footage released by the MTA Police Department and obtained by TMZ shows officers approaching Gabriel on the tracks and temporarily placing him in handcuffs while he spoke with his mother over the phone.
After officers moved to a nearby street, Sunny arrived and immediately explained who she was. “My name is Sunny Hostin and I’m one of the co-hosts of ‘The View’ and I’m a former federal prosecutor,” she told police.
The 57-year-old television personality then emphasized her son’s background while arguing that he had made an innocent mistake. “That’s my son. He’s a Harvard graduate, he doesn’t have a criminal record,” Hostin said. “He knows. He’s a Harvard grad who teaches 4th grade geometry to South Bronx kids.”
Hostin also described Gabriel as “not a kid who’s ever in trouble” as she asked officers not to issue the citation.
Officers Said The Alleged Offense Could Have Led To An Arrest
Gabriel reportedly told officers that he had been running when he noticed a gravel incline that appeared suitable for hill training. He claimed he entered through an open gate and did not realize he had crossed onto restricted railroad property.
Police, however, said Gabriel had been found on the right-of-way of active tracks in an area with posted “No Trespassing” warnings. When an officer informed him that he would receive a trespassing citation, Gabriel asked, “Is this necessary?” The officer responded, “Yes.”
Gabriel then questioned what would happen if an officer chose not to issue the ticket. Police said their “hands were tied” and stressed that the situation could have ended more seriously. “Because it is an arrestable offense. I want to make that clear, okay?” one officer explained.
The officer said police were “dimming it down to a trespass violation” because Gabriel had not been standing in the gauge, the area between the rails, and had remained cooperative. “We know you’re not a criminal or anything like that, but our hands are tied with cameras everywhere,” the officer added.
While reports have described the incident as an arrest, TMZ previously reported that court records characterized it as a citation that did not involve an arrest. The newly released footage does show Gabriel being briefly handcuffed during the initial encounter.
Hostin Claims An Open Gate Caused The Confusion
The bodycam footage gives additional context to the argument Hostin later presented to prosecutors: that her son entered through an open gate and did not knowingly disregard a visible warning.
MTA Police also released an image of the gate and the “No Trespassing” sign Gabriel said he did not notice. Hostin has argued that because the gate was standing open, the sign attached to it was not readily visible as he entered the area.
The family also reportedly told officers that they had moved to the area within the past year, suggesting Gabriel was still unfamiliar with his surroundings. That explanation now sits at the center of Hostin’s request for the case to be dismissed. Rather than disputing that Gabriel entered railroad property, she is arguing that he lacked the intent to trespass and reasonably believed the incline was accessible.
Sunny Hostin Is Representing Her Son
Hostin, who previously worked as a federal prosecutor before becoming a legal analyst and joining “The View,” is listed as her son’s attorney in the case.
In a letter sent to Westchester Assistant District Attorney Amanda Greene, Hostin asked prosecutors to dismiss the citation before Gabriel’s scheduled July 31 court appearance. “My client is a 2025 Harvard University graduate with no criminal history or prior contact with the criminal justice system,” she wrote. “He is an avid runner and former Junior Olympian track athlete who was in the area training.”
Hostin said her son saw what appeared to be a gravel hill that he could use during his workout. “Although there was a gate at the entrance of the gravel incline, the gates were standing open,” she wrote. “The only ‘No Trespassing’ sign was affixed to the left gate and, because the gates were open, it was not visible to my client as he entered the property.”
“He reasonably believed the area was accessible and had no intention of entering private property unlawfully,” she added.
Hostin Argues The Citation Creates ‘Unnecessary Consequences’
Hostin concluded her letter by arguing that continuing the case would serve little public interest, particularly given her son’s clean record and cooperation with police. “Dismissal would avoid imposing unnecessary consequences on a young man who has demonstrated exceptional character and achievement and who poses no risk to the community,” she wrote.
The footage nevertheless shows that the same accomplishments Hostin cited in her legal request, including her son’s Harvard degree, community work, and lack of a criminal record, did not persuade officers to abandon the citation at the scene.
Gabriel is currently expected to appear in New Rochelle City Court on July 31.
