Alleged molotov cocktail tosser blamed attack on black people

The white Catskills woman who allegedly attacked the NYPD with a molotov cocktail during the height of the George Floyd protests in the city claimed three masked black people pressured her into the explosive act, according to new court documents.

In a series of recorded video interviews, Samantha Shader, 27, admitted she threw the device, court papers say — but said she did so at the behest of a two black men and a black woman and that she felt compelled to comply because she was “the only white person in the area,” Shader said.

She even offered detailed descriptions of their appearances.

The man who handed her the bottle, she said, was a “thicker guy” with “skinny dreads.” The second man was smaller and wore a hat, while the woman was thin with “poofy hair,” and all wore dark clothing and covered their faces with dark colored bandanas, she allegedly told investigators.

The man in dreads told her “they were going to prove a point.”

The revelation was made in a criminal complaint unsealed Saturday announcing the arrest of Shader’s pal, Saugerties painter Timothy Amerman, 29.

Shader was arrested in the hours after the May 29 attack on the streets of Brooklyn — but the story she told police began to recently unravel when the FBI found Amerman, authorities said. No one was hurt as the molotov cocktail did not ignite. Shader is facing life in prison.

Authorities have not revealed a motive for the attack, but uncovered a series of Facebook posts in which Shader advocated for violence to solve racial injustices.

“Black people should be allowed to burn down the country they built for free,” she allegedly wrote, according to the complaint.

Shader was charged in a seven-count indictment last month. She is being held in Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.

A note investigators found in the vehicle Shader drove to New York City led them to Amerman, who allegedly confessed that Shader planned ahead of time to attack cops and counter-protesters — and that he gave her the supplies to do it.

Authorities recovered a Bulleit bottle on scene from a witness who said Shader hurled it at the occupied NYPD vehicle. Amerman told law enforcement that is his bourbon of choice.

Amerman was arrested this week, and is expected to appear in court Saturday afternoon in Albany on one count of civil disorder and one count of civil disorder conspiracy.

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