*boiled bystanders*

The Kitty Genovese Murder and the Bystander Effect

Catherine Genovese was the 19-year-old New York City woman whose stabbing death was witnessed in parts by 38 of her neighbors, none of whom acted to help her until a few minutes after the attack had ended. Many of them later told police that they were unaware that a homicide was in progress. Subsequent psychological research, spurred by news reports that sensationalized the event, prompted investigation into the phenomenon that would later be called the "Bystander Effect."