‘Skripper’ Says Customer Put Her in a Chokehold Because ‘He Thought It Would Be Sexy.’ Now She Has To Do This When Going to Work: ‘Get a Lawyer’

‘Midnight ballerina’ club dancers face a higher risk of experiencing violence at work compared to other professions. That violence can come from intimate partners, but also from clients and customers, according to a 2017 study.

A TikTok creator who calls herself a “skripper,” likely to get around TikTok’s language rules, recently posted a video showing the horrific incident that happened to her at work.

In the clip, which has garnered over 633,500 views, River (@the_problem_child04) covers large bruises on her neck with foundation while telling the story through on-screen text.

“A man tried to put me in a chokehold at work with no warning because ‘he thought it would be sexy,’” she wrote.

River said she was left with “light bruises,” but added that the man would have a mark of his own.

“He is going to have a bloody/bruised mark of my teeth on his forearm for a while and have to explain to his wife what he did to earn it,” she wrote.

In the caption, River later added that the person had been identified and that she had taken further action.

“Edited two days later: person has been identified, police report made. And pressing charges to prevent this from happening again to someone else,” she wrote.

How Serious Is Strangulation?

U.S. law treats strangulation as a serious act of violence.

Medical experts and victim advocates have long warned that strangulation can be a major warning sign for more severe violence. It can also be dangerous even when the visible injuries do not look extreme.

Laws vary by state, but strangulation is widely treated as a serious criminal offense across the U.S. The exact charge depends on where it happens, who the victim is, and whether the act causes injury.

In Florida, for example, battery by strangulation and domestic battery by strangulation can be charged as third-degree felonies. New York has multiple levels of strangulation-related offenses. This includes a misdemeanor-level obstruction of breathing charge and felony charges when the act causes physical impairment or serious injury.

Commenters Were Horrified

In the comments section, viewers urged River to take the incident seriously.

“DO NOT GO TO YOUR MANAGER- coming from experience unfortunately.. Please get a Lawyer if you can,” one user wrote. “At least bring it to the police so they have it on record…”

River also clarified in the comments that the person who allegedly choked her was a customer.

“Banned and they were in a dance with me and it happened so fast (within a second or two) and it was semi out of sight so unfortunately there wasn’t a way for them to get to me even if they did see it,” she wrote.

Another commenter said they regretted not taking action when similar things happened to them in the past.

“There’s so many times I should have sued ppl when I was in my 20s,” they wrote. “It’s actually one of my biggest regrets. I didn’t realize how many resources there were and how wrong the events were until I got older.”

However, other dancers pointed out that reporting violence is not always simple for people who work in strip clubs.

One person on Reddit said they went to police after being assaulted by a man, only for the situation to allegedly turn on them.

“When the cops came I said I wanted to file charges, went willingly to the station, gave a written statement on what happened and after the statement they read me my rights and charged me with solicitation with intent for prostitution,” they wrote.

@the_problem_child04 Edited two days later: person has been identified, police report made, and pressing charges to prevent this from happening again to someone else #skrippertok #skripper ♬ Trarags red shirt music – Bonkaaa?️

The Mary Sue has reached out to River via TikTok for comment.

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