Men attack two trans women in Barrio Amon; suspects identified.
2026 August 1
During the early-morning hours of a Thursday in late July / early August 2026, three men got out of a car in Barrio Amon, in downtown San Jose, and attacked two trans women, shouting at, hitting and kicking them while filming the assault. In the video, later shared by the attackers themselves via WhatsApp and social media, one of the victims can be heard asking the men to leave and warning them that surveillance cameras were recording. Activists characterized the assault as a transphobic hate crime.
After the footage circulated, two of the attackers were publicly identified as Walter Rivera, known as “Wally,” and a man who appears on Facebook as “Nayo Mola” (also called “Nayib”); a third participant was also involved. Activist Javier Umana Rivera said a formal complaint would be filed and that support was being provided to the two women affected, stressing that the attack was not an isolated incident.
The assault was one of a series of attacks against trans women in Barrio Amon during 2026. Municipal Police chief Deytel Beita confirmed that at least four similar incidents had been recorded in the neighborhood that year. The area, where several trans women work, has repeatedly been the site of violence, and authorities were criticized for framing the incidents as ordinary altercations rather than transphobic violence.