Dublin woman arrested mere hours after viral ‘portal’ to New York opens

A woman was arrested mere hours after a ‘portal’ connecting Dublin, Ireland to New York City opened up.

On May 8, a futuristic art installation opened in Dublin and NYC that allowed both sides to livestream with each other, creating a gateway across the Atlantic Ocean.

The ‘portal’ gives onlookers a glimpse into the other city and its citizens and people can interact with them, just like you would in a traditional video call.

The impressive project has already seen at least one arrest though, and surprisingly, it came from the Irish side after a drunk woman was caught grinding up against the project.

In a video shared by Irish_Daily on Instagram, a woman was seen being escorted away from the structure by police as onlookers in New York waved goodbye.

Once the woman was removed from the ‘portal,’ the cops appeared to start questioning her, but the video ends before we find out her fate.

The woman who originally filmed the video, Liza Linnane, explained in the comments what had happened that forced the cops to intervene.

“Basically she was there for about 20 mins very drunk and was slapping and grinding against the portal before guards stepped in,” she said.

While Liza claimed the woman hadn’t been arrested, a spokesperson for Ireland’s National Police, the Garda Síochána, told Limerick Live that she had in fact been charged.

“She has since been charged in relation to this and is expected to appear before the CCJ District Court at a later date,” they revealed.

Despite the drunken shenanigans, the portal looks like it’s been a hit with both Dubliners and New Yorkers so far. Many crowds have gathered on both sides to get a glimpse into the other city and even held a dance-off against each other.

This isn’t the first time a portal has opened. The company behind the project, Portals.org, began building them in 2021 when it connected Vilnius, Lithuania, with Lublin, Poland.