A 75-year-old New York woman bit a 7-year-old girl’s arm while trying to retrieve a freebie T-shirt that was being tossed out during a concert at Main Beach in East Hampton Village on August 12, Village Police reported.
Gail Bomze was arrested on August 19 at 1:26 p.m. and charged with third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors.
East Hampton Village Police said the girl who was bitten and her parents told them that while trying to retrieve a T-shirt that was being tossed from a balcony at the Tuesday Main Beach concert, a woman was “kicking and punching kids.” The girl described the perpetrator as having long brown hair and wearing a dark green dress. The woman grabbed her arm and bit it, the girl told police. The bite broke the skin, causing bleeding and swelling, police said.
Police said they canvassed the area but could not locate the woman. Then on Tuesday this week, police reported that, during the investigation, a detective learned that a witness had taken a photo of the woman. The detective sent the photo to the chief lifeguard, and a drone was used in an attempt to locate the woman.
The assistant chief lifeguard recognized the woman in the photo and knew her first name and where she lives, police said.
The detective also reviewed video footage of the suspect and incident from the Main Beach pavilion cameras.
Police did not disclose where they located Bomze and arrested her but stated that she was brought to East Hampton Village Police headquarters for processing and released with an appearance ticket.
Bomze is due to be arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court on September 3.
Staff Writer on Aug 20, 2025