New York City lawyer is roasted for calling 911 on two female vendors selling food in Upper West Side park without a permit: 'Get a life, Karen'

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A New York City lawyer is facing relentless backlash this week after she took to Twitter to unleash her wrath upon two female street vendors allegedly selling food without a permit in an Upper West Side park.  

Sonya Shaykhoun, who labels herself as "Esq." online, ignited a firestorm of criticism when she complained about the presence of a simple food stand in Riverside Park on Twitter, triggering accusations of pettiness and entitlement among New Yorkers. 

In her tweet, she shared photos of two women who appeared to have a small table set up at the side of a park path. She then expresses her dissatisfaction about seeing a person selling food in a public park without showing their permit. 

She then claimed to have called 911 and reported the vendors, who have not been identified, to the police. 

But users swiftly criticized her for being "petty and vindictive". 'Get a hobby and leave society alone you absolute crazy person,' one user said. 

Sonya Shaykhoun claimed to have called 911 and reported the vendors, who have not been identified, to the police 

Shaykhoun wrote: 'Yesterday I was coming back from tennis in Riverside Park and came upon this ad hoc unlicensed food stand. They were calling out to people to buy from them and I asked them, “where’s your permit” cuz we all know the permit has to be displayed. Well, the woman in blue got belligerent and started filming me and refused to show me her permit. She started filming me and getting increasingly aggressive. I called her a name. Then I called 911.' 

But a spokesperson for the police department said there was no record of such complaint. 

Her Tweet continued: 'What happened with this? The officers never called me back. This was at the 99th street entrance. We have beautiful parks, if you see ppl defacing them by setting up illegal stands, call the police. Time to take back our beautiful City.' 

Yet instead of drawing the support she may have expected, Shaykhoun's tweet became the target of scathing ridicule and disdain from fellow New Yorkers, who were quick to call out her seemingly trivial criticisms. 

Many were mocking her self-righteousness. One user posted a checklist made for children: 'Is someone in danger? Is someone hurt? Did you try to solve the problem on your own? Were you minding your own business?' 

Sonya Shaykhoun, who labels herself as "Esq." online, ignited a firestorm of criticism when she complained about the presence of a simple food stand in Riverside Park on Twitter

Shaykhoun claimed to have reported the vendors to the police but cops denied receiving a complaint

Social media users were quick to wade in, with one telling Shaykhoun to 'get a hobby and leave society alone you absolute crazy person'

Shaykhoun is a lawyer at the Law Offices of Sonya Shaykhoun, Esq., according to her LinkedIn

Others expressed despair over her frivolous complaint, especially in this economic climate, as many New Yorkers are struggling to make a living. 

One said: 'This poor woman is trying her best to survive this latest economic collapse. Maybe millions of people wouldn't be in quite the same dire circumstances if our government didn't require taxes, fees and permits for everything. Please, please consider not being so cruel.'

As the online frenzy escalated, Shaykhoun's tweet quickly went viral, gaining 6,000 replies by Thursday evening.  

Some users were outraged: 'Jesus Christ Karen. Get a life and leave others alone.'

'There's cool people, then there's you. Kindness matters.' 

Many online also shared their appreciation for food vendors: 'When I am in Mexico 100% chance I am stopping for food when I see a lady selling food out of the trunk of her car from tupperware bowls. Some of the best food ever,' one said.  

Shaykhoun continues to relentlessly tweet back in response to her criticizers. 

One twitter user posted the address of Shaykhoun's law offices and she responded: 'Okay, let's turn lemons into lemonade. Selling food to the public without the necessary permits is not only a health risk, but it's also prohibited. If you need help with your food license applications, I am happy to help you. If you are financially disadvantaged, we can work out a deal. Feel free to email me or call me with your licensing requirements. Many thanks, Sonya' 

She added this to her original tweet: 'Next time you’re tempted to buy food from unlicensed vendors, let’s hope it doesn’t end up like the customers in this story who bought the vendor’s burgers made with human remains.'

'The law is there for your protection. How do you know the food isn’t laced with fentanyl or other harmful toxins? You can’t even trust licensed vendors how you gonna trust unlicensed vendors? But sure, make me the Twitter Anti-Hero of the Week. But if you buy a burger off the street from Mr or Ms Unlicensed and bite into a human toe or an eyeball, don’t come crying to me because, clears throat…'

Shaykhoun is a lawyer at the Law Offices of Sonya Shaykhoun, Esq., according to her LinkedIn. 

She describes herself as an 'award-winning NY-qualified attorney doing cross-border transactions; tech, media, telecoms, & satellites; aviation; big contracts; & compliance and author of upcoming book, "The Commercially Savvy Lawyer."' 

DailyMail.com reached out to Shaykoun for comment but did not hear back.