EXCLUSIVE: 'No Trespassing' Sign Appears in Sunny Hostin Bodycam Footage Despite 'The View' Co-host Claiming It 'Was Not Visible' Before Her Ivy League Son's Detainment
Sunny Hostin tried to argue a 'No Trespassing' sign was obstructed before her son was detained by MTA police.
July 21 2026, Published 6:40 p.m. ET
Sunny Hostin has been trying to get her Ivy League son's recent trespassing violation dismissed, begging cops and sending a personal letter to the New Rochelle, New York, District Attorney asking for leniency.
However, RadarOnline.com can report a key part of her argument that a "No Trespassing" sign was obscured has been negated by the official MTA police officer's report.
Sunny Hostin's Son Was Detained While Out on a Jog
Hostin came to son Gabriel's aid after he was cited for trespassing on the Metro-North Railroad tracks.
As Radar reported, Hostin was on the phone with her 24-year-old son, Gabriel, when he was stopped by police along the Metro-North Railroad tracks in Westchester County last month.
He was cited but not arrested for the June 16 incident, and has a court appearance scheduled for July 31. But Hostin, a former federal prosecutor turned co-host on The View, has been busy flexing her knowledge of the law – not to mention her celebrity status – in an attempt to get the charges dismissed entirely.
The 57-year-old, who is acting as her son's attorney, sent a letter to the DA claiming, "The circumstances of this case do not reflect the type of conduct that New York Penal Law §140.05 was intended to address."
Sunny Hostin Sends a Letter to the DA
A photograph in the official police report shows a 'No Trespassing' sign.
Hostin went on to argue that her son is an "avid jogger" who was checking out a "gravel incline" that he hoped to use for hill training when he mistakenly entered the restricted area.
She also tried to make a case that the gates to the area were open and that the only "No Trespassing" sign wasn't visible at the time.
"He reasonably believed the area was accessible and had no intention of entering private property unlawfully," Hostin wrote.
Radar, however, has obtained the official police report of the incident, which includes a photo taken by one of the responding officers showing an unobstructed "No Trespassing" sign.
It is yet to be known if Hostin's personal appeal will have any effect on the charges.
Sunny Hostin Tries to Name-Drop Herself
Hostin has sent a letter to the DA asking for the charge to be dismissed.
Bodycam video from the encounter also seems to show Hostin attempting to use her celebrity status and influence to pressure the patrolman to release her son.
"My name is Sunny Hostin, and I’m one of the co-hosts of The View, and I’m a former federal prosecutor," Hostin boasted to one officer just minutes after she arrived at the scene.
She then told another, "That’s my son. He's a Harvard graduate; he doesn’t have a criminal record." Moments later, she pleaded with the officer in a desperate attempt to dismiss the charges, "He's not a kid who's ever in trouble. It's an innocent mistake."
Gabriel Hostin's Charges Were Lessened
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Gabriel Hostin was given a lesser trespass violation instead of a misdemeanor.
The responding officers listened patiently to the concerned mother's pleas, with one patrolman seeming to sympathize with her. However, he also told her that they were forced to take action.
"Normally it's a misdemeanor charge," the officer told Hostin. "We're dumbing it down to a trespass violation because you were in the right-of-way, you weren't in the gauge or anything, which is the middle area where the tracks were on."
He then complimented, "And you’ve been very cooperative with us, and you have a good background, everything like that. We know you're not a criminal or anything like that, but our hands are tied with cameras everywhere."
