Cornell University president accused of backing into student in parking lot confrontation
Michael Kotlikoff called the incident "harassment and intimidation."
Cornell University's president claimed he was the victim of "harassment and intimidation" following a parking lot confrontation with a group of people who said he tried to back his car into them.
The incident unfolded on Thursday, April 30, after Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff introduced an Israel-Palestinian debate series that was hosted by the Cornell Political Union and co-sponsored by the Cornell Progressives, Cornellians for Israel, and Students for Justice in Palestine.
Kotlikoff said the behavior he experienced while allegedly being followed to his car in an on-campus lot by six or seven people, some of them students, "is harassment and intimidation, with the direct motive of silencing speech."
"It has no place in an academic community, no place in a democracy, and can have no place at Cornell," Kolikoff said in his statement released to the Ithaca, New York, university's community on Friday.
Following the debate, videos posted online showed several people following Kolikoff to his car while questioning him about freedom of speech. The videos showed Kolikoff's black Cadillac backing up out of a parking space as students appeared to be standing behind his vehicle.
One person, according to a video, complained that Kotikoff's car bumped into him and ran over his foot before the school president drove off.
Aiden Vallecillo, a member of Students for a Democratic Cornell, told ABC affiliate station WSYR in Syracuse that he and other students followed Kolikoff from the debate to his car, peacefully questioning him.
Vallecillo claimed that Kotikoff escalated the situation when he got behind the wheel of his vehicle.
"As we were still trying to talk to him, he just immediately started reversing into us," alleged Vallecillo, who claimed that Kotikoff's car backed over his foot.
Sophia Arnold, president of the Students for a Democratic Cornell, said she witnessed the incident and expressed dismay over Kotikoff's alleged behavior.
"I don’t even have the words for it. I was pretty shocked and offended,” Arnold told WSYR. “A random pedestrian pulling out of a supermarket parking lot would probably have shown more care."
On Sunday, the university released enhanced surveillance video of the incident, which the school said occurred in a parking lot near Day Hall. The footage showed a group of people standing behind Kotikoff's car as it backed out of a parking space, stopping when it appeared to bump a person filming with his cellphone, and then continued to back up and drive off.
In an earlier statement, Kyle Kimball, vice president for University Relations, said the security footage "shows students following President Kotlikoff to his car and surrounding the car to prevent him from leaving after the Cornell Political Union event."
It was unclear on Sunday if the incident was reported to the campus police or was being formally investigated. In response to a request for comment on Sunday, a university spokesperson directed ABC News to the statement Kolitkoff released to the Cornell community on Friday.
In that statement, Kolitkoff, who was appointed as the school's president in March 2025, said he was "accosted by a group of several individuals in the hall, among them students and non-students" as he left the event.
"These individuals are known to Cornell for their past conduct, including a long history of ongoing verbal and online abuse toward numerous members of Cornell’s administration and staff, as well as disruptive protest resulting, in the case of two individuals, in bans from campus," Kolitkoff said.
He alleged that they followed him across campus from the event space "while loudly shouting questions" and using their phones to record the incident.
"After answering a few questions, I let them know that I was not planning to engage further, and asked them to stop recording," Kolitkoff said.
Kolitkoff claimed the students continued to follow him, and said at least one told him, "No, we are not going to stop."
He said when he got to his car, the group surrounded his vehicle, "banging on the windows" and blocking him from leaving.
"I waited until I saw space behind the car and then, using my car's rear pedestrian alert and automatic braking system, was able to slowly maneuver my car from the parking space and exit the parking lot," Kolitkoff said.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live