A week ago, singles everywhere were given a glimmer of hope in these lonely quarantine days. A New York City photographer named Jeremy Cohen posted a clever video on the TikTok app showing the steps he went through to get a girl who lived in the building across from him to go on a date.
The video plays out like this: Cohen noticed a young woman dancing around on the roof of her building. So he decided to fly his drone over with his phone number attached.
“Flirting is normally daunting for me,” Cohen says in the voice over of the video. “But since I’ve been quarantined in my apartment for a week now, I was craving some social interaction.”
She picked up the drone, got his number and texted him. Hearts all over the world began to swell to the tune of 30 million views as they rooted for this new couple.
In TikTok lingo, this is where you would click “Like” for part 2.
In part two, we find out the identity of the Roof Girl. Her name is Tori Cignarella. The pair set up a video date, complete with microwave dinners and drinks. Him on his balcony and her on the roof so they could see each other from a distance. Again, the world swooned to the tune of more than 10 million views.
Like for part 3.
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Cohen aims to impress his date by getting a giant inflatable bumper ball that he can fit inside. He then rolls across the street to her apartment and surprises her with flowers for their date, at a safe distance. But of course, she can’t hold them because, bubble.
By this time, word had spread about the new couple. They were featured on the local NYC news and they were recognized by some NYPD officers who wanted selfies with them.
Cohen says it’s been a whirlwind week. He says he and Tori still keep in touch via text everyday and still see each other when she’s on the roof and he’s on his balcony. He hasn’t updated his TikTok in several days because he’s been busy fielding interviews about his viral video.
But a new report tried to poked a few holes in the love story by claiming it wasn’t quite as spontaneous as the public originally thought. The story claimed Cohen took long pauses during their interview and admitted to having a friend in common with Tori who helped him get video. Cohen says he does have a friend who lives in the same building as Tori, but had never met her.
“It’s really annoying and It hurts my feelings,” Cohen says. “He’s saying ‘He’s stretching the truth.’ This is what happened. I like her. I did not know her before this at all.”
Cohen says the fact that he knew someone in the building who helped him out doesn't mean the feelings, and the interaction since haven't been genuine. He says he really likes Tori and has enjoyed the ease of getting to know her without the awkwardness of a typical date.
“It’s nice because we can get to know a person without having any pressure of any physical interaction. Because first dates can often be uncomfortable because you don’t know what the other party is thinking.”
He says he and Tori have talked about the pressure of a follow up date post-quarantine and say they are well-aware that their fans will want to know what happens next.
“This could turn into something or it could not. But regardless, whatever it is, we’re going to give it a try once quarantine is over.”
