SI Man Arrested for Role in Capitol Riot; Posted Pic on Social Media

By:  Serach Nissim

On Monday, a Staten Island man who allegedly livestreamed himself at the Capitol riot was arrested, as per the FBI.

Nicolas Moncada of Taunton Street was arrested at his home, with federal agents remaining at the scene.  “[Moncada] is now in custody for his role in assaulting the US Capitol while our representatives were inside performing their Constitutional duties,” the FBI said on Twitter.

As reported by the NY Post, Moncada was tracked down by the feds because he had livestreamed his presence at the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol building in Washington, DC on Instagram, a law enforcement source said.

Moncada, a 20–year-old student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, is due to appear in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday.  His mother told The Post on Monday that her son wasn’t rioting, but rather was curious to see what was happening inside the capitol.  “I’m upset that everyone’s jumping to conclusions,” Joan Moncada said. “He’s such a good kid. I just don’t want to see his future ruined because he wanted to see what was going on.”

“Everyone always says how lucky I am, how good a son I have,” she said.  “He was recording. He wants the truth,” she added. “When you watch the news you just want to see for yourself. Is this what’s really happening?”

The Post reported that federal court records show that Moncada’s classmates and faculty at the Fashion Institute of Technology were the ones who turned him in, after seeing the footage of him at the Capitol raid.  In an email sent on Monday, FIT said Moncada studied illustration at the school, but has not been enrolled since May.  “FIT did cooperate with government authorities after learning about Mr. Moncada’s social media posts from members of the college community,” school spokeswoman Alexandra Mann wrote.

Moncada was photographed in several locations within the building, including outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, records show. He also exchanged private messages with friends during the siege.  “what is going on?” a friend messaged.  “Storming the Capitol Buiding,” Moncada had allegedly replied.

Dozens of other arrests have been made in connection with the storming of the Capitol Building, during the congressional vote to certify the count of the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.   The siege was an unprecedented security threat, which prompted the arrival of 20,000 armed National Guards and other law enforcement personnel as backup.  The extra security will also be present in anticipation of unrest during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday.