I see it as simpler. A predatory young black man targeting distracted females and clocking them.
It’s a good reason to never take your eyes off a young black man in your vicinity.
It is possible that the ship in question had its systems turned off at a vulnerable moment. I can see that.
The story doesn’t say it was a black man. But it does say “Halley Kate, an influencer who has 1.1 million followers on the platform, posted a video Monday after one attack being investigated by the NYPD”,
If you can’t trust a New York City TikTok “influencer” who can you trust?