A neighbor of the woman charged with shoving Broadway vocal coach Barbara Gustern, 87, resulting in her death apparently had a “simmering rage” and was known for “screaming at people” in her apartment building, a neighbor said.
A neighbor who declined to use his name told the New York Post that Lauren Pazienza, 26, that “Everybody in the building knows to avoid her.” Pazienza has been charged with manslaughter in the death of Gustern.
“You hear screaming fights between her and her fiance,” the 38-year-old neighbor told the outlet. “You would never hear the fiance. You would just hear her screaming.”
“I’ve never seen anything physical in the building but she screams at people,” the neighbor continued. “She’ll yell at toddlers for being toddlers, and not knowing how to walk properly and stuff like that.”
The neighbor added that Pazienza possessed “like a simmering rage that people have experienced.”
Another neighbor told the Post last week that she “felt horrible about the situation but I wasn’t surprised” that Panzienza would be accused of assaulting someone.
“There was always an issue with her and someone in the building,” said the neighbor, who also remained anonymous. “It’s like always something with that lady. I feel for her fiancé because he’s a nice guy and he didn’t sign up for this.”
Another male neighbor said Panzienza was “definitely not the best tenant.”
“There’s always some type of issue, some type of complaint. You’ll always know it’s her. It’s ridiculous,” the neighbor said.
A female neighbor said that Panzienza hadn’t been violent but was known to argue.
“It was verbal. Sometimes she would stand up for herself, definitely,” the neighbor told the Post, adding that Panzienza would argue with building management over issues, including parking tickets. “She will not put up with nonsense … she will say, ‘What is your problem?’ ‘What do you want from me?’”
As The Daily Wire previously reported, Panzienza’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, claimed in court last week that “pushing someone who’s on the sidewalk” isn’t the same as “pushing someone in front of a cliff” or “pushing someone in front of a moving train,” according to Vanity Fair. Aidala also said that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office was overcharging Pazienza with manslaughter.
“The D.A. goes out of their way to undercharge a case, and in this particular case they’re overcharging,” Aidala reportedly said in court last week.
Pazienza turned herself in to police on Tuesday, 12 days after the unprovoked attack that left Gustern with a head injury that resulted in her death on March 16, The Daily Wire previously reported. Gustern was a famed vocal coach who trained Broadway stars and famed musicians such as Blondie singer Debbie Harry.
Pazienza was charged with manslaughter and was behind bars as of Wednesday, Inside Edition reported. The outlet reported on what it called a “disturbing timeline” following the attack.
“Police say Lauren Pazienza, 26, walked back to the scene six minutes after shoving 87-year-old Barbara Maier Gustern to the ground and watched as the ambulance arrived on the scene,” the outlet reported.
Police also said that Gustern was conscious long enough to say that her assailant had crossed the street and called her a “b****” before shoving her. “Authorities say Pazienza and her fiance, who works for Microsoft, got into the subway at Penn Station, transferred at Times Square, then took the train to their apartment in Queens, leaving a digital trail with the fiance’s Metrocard,” Inside Edition noted.