José Castelo Branco says he was pushed down the stairs of the New York subway and guarantees that he ended up spending the night in the hospital, where he underwent several tests after what he describes as a “brutal fall”. The report was made by him to the Dioguinho website and is being reported by several Portuguese vehicles this Wednesday.
According to the socialite, cited by the weekly, the episode happened when he arrived at the subway and was surprised on a flight of narrow stairs. José Castelo Branco claims that a man passed him, shouted “Betty, Betty” and pushed him, causing him to lose his balance.
In the report cited by the press, Castelo Branco says that he fell because of the push and the heels he was wearing, and ended up being helped by other people who were at the scene. He later went to hospital, where he reportedly stayed overnight to undergo tests, including a CT scan.
Socialite says she suspects Betty’s “defender”
José Castelo Branco believes that the person responsible for the push could be someone who knows the case involving the woman, Betty Grafstein. The call was made by him, who associated the scream with Betty’s name to the legal process that continues to surround the couple.
In the same report, the socialite said that he ended up meeting again at the hospital nurses who had accompanied Betty Grafstein and stated that some of these professionals defended him in the case in which he is being tried. This is, however, a version presented by José Castelo Branco.
The case arises in an especially sensitive context. In November 2024, the Public Ministry accused José Castelo Branco of the crime of domestic violence against Betty Grafstein, and in September 2025 a judge decided to take him to trial. José Castelo Branco denies the accusations.
Betty Grafstein accused José Castelo Branco of domestic violence after being hospitalized in 2024, and the socialite was arrested that year, and was later released with coercive measures, including a ban on contact with the alleged victim.
Since then, the case has seen several media and judicial developments, with public statements from both sides and strong attention from the social press. The new episode reported in New York now puts José Castelo Branco at the center of the news again.
For now, I have not found independent confirmation on the identity of the man who allegedly pushed him nor on any police intervention related to this episode in New York. What is confirmed is that José Castelo Branco says he was treated at the hospital after the fall.
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