Jacqueline Guzman is a New York actress who was fired after she posted a video rant about NYPD officer Jason Rivera’s funeral on her “VinylBoobs” TikTok account. Guzman was affiliated with Face To Face Productions, an independent film and theatre production company. After her video went viral on social media, Face to Face Productions wrote on Instagram, “she is no longer a member of our company.”
Rivera, 22, and another NYPD officer, Wilbert Mora, were shot and killed in Harlem on January 21, 2022, when they responded to a domestic disturbance call, officials said. The suspect, Lashawn McNeil, was shot by another officer and also later died. Rivera’s funeral was held on January 28, according to The New York Times. Officers from the NYPD and departments around the region and country flooded the streets around St. Patrick’s Cathedral to pay tribute to the slain officer.
Guzman posted a video on TikTok, where she used the name “VinylBoobs,” on that day, ranting about New York City streets being closed for the funeral. Guzman later deleted the video and her TikTok and Twitter accounts, but it was picked up by several other social media users, including many pro-police accounts, and it went viral. Her name was trending on Google on Sunday, January 30, as a result of the attention. Guzman could not be reached for comment by Heavy.
In its full statement, Face To Face Productions wrote on Instagram “Face To Face Films has just been made aware of an insensitive video involving one of our members, Jacqueline Guzman. Face To Face Films does not support nor can condone those comments made about fallen Officer Rivera. As a result, she is no longer a member of our company.”
Jacqueline Guzman Said in the Video, ‘We Do Not Need to Shut Down Most of Lower Manhattan Because One Cop Died for Probably Doing His Job Incorrectly’
Jacqueline Guzman recorded the video as she walked on the streets around the funeral, also filming the police and other emergency vehicles being used to block the roads. Guzman said in the video, which she posted on her now-deleted “VinylBoobs” account, “We do not need to shut down most of lower Manhattan because one cop died for probably doing his job incorrectly. They kill people who are under 22 every single day for no good reason and we don’t shut down the city for them.”
Guzman added in the 31-second video, “Like, this is f****** ridiculous. This is f***** ridiculous. What if somebody is having a heart attack in this area? Nobody can get to them because it’s all blocked off for one f***** cop.” Guzman has not commented about the reaction to her video.
New York City Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch told The New York Post, “New Yorkers turned out by the thousands yesterday to help us honor our fallen brother. One person spreading hate cannot erase that. This kind of garbage has polluted the conversation for far too long. We need the New Yorkers who are standing with us to speak up and push back.”
Guzman Is an Actress Originally From Florida Who Studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York
According to her now-deleted biography on the Face To Face Films website, “Jacqueline Guzman is a Cuban American actress based in NYC, originally from Hialeah, Florida. Jacqueline discovered her passion for acting in high school when she was pressured by her friends to audition for Almost, Maine. This was a life-changing experience for her, she had found a place where she could be free, vulnerable, and creative.”
Guzman’s bio adds, “As a first-generation American this was somewhat of a luxury to her. She held on to it like it was the only way to breathe fresh air. She was once again pushed by her friend to apply to her dream school the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She went on to fall in love with the technique and structure the craft had to offer, and the freedom which it guaranteed. She was asked to join the American Academy company third-year program where she worked closely with professionals in the industry to cultivate, and showcase her talents.”
Guzman graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and founded her own production company, “Exhale, go,” along with working with Face To Face Films, according to the company’s website and her now-deleted Twitter profile.