Casualties of the Bystander Effect Kitty Genovese (left) and Hugo Tale-Yax (right) lived in different eras, but both were victims of brutal assaults and the cold indifference of bystanders in New York City. Genovese and Tale-Yax might have been saved if the passersby who saw them in distress had called for help.

left: NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images; right: Christopher Sadowski/Splash News/Newscom