chair girl toronto

Chair girl annoys Toronto judge by showing up late for court

The 20-year-old viral video star known as "chair girl" for hurling patio furniture from the balcony of a downtown Toronto highrise continues to play with fire this week as her sentence hearing finally approaches, carrying with it the possibility of six months in jail.

Marcella Zoia, a former dental hygiene student and current Instagram "model," was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday to hear a Crown prosecutor's newly-submitted argument about how her now-infamous chair toss video first made its way online.

Chair girl showed up late.

"I'm astonished," said Judge Mara Green to Zoia of her tardiness, noting that she had "another case of great importance" to attend to.

Not the greatest words to hear, I imagine, from the person who is set to decide whether or not you go to jail in just a few days.

Zoia first made headlines in February of 2019 when she was captured on camera throwing chairs over the busy Gardiner Expressway.

The young Toronto woman has since been turned into a meme, kicked out of school, embraced her status as a digital influencer, and even scored a role in Drake's latest video — all while facing charges of mischief, property damage and common nuisance.

Despite the seriousness of the charges against her, Zoia had skipped at least five scheduled court appearances before eventually pleading guilty to a charge of mischief — endangering life in November.

The 20-year-old Toronto resident is set to be sentenced on Friday at Toronto's Old City Hall, where her hearing was put over last month after Crown prosecutors alleged that Zoia had posted the original chair toss video to Snapchat herself.

The Crown is asking for a six-month jail sentence, while Zoia's attorney, Greg Leslie, maintains that such a sentence would be excessive, given Zoia's young age and the fact that her "brain's not fully developed."

Lead photo by

Marcella Zoia


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

$6.4B Ontario bridge's big moment arrives with an iconic cross-border handshake

Toronto was just named one of the top 10 most 'impossibly affordable' cities in the world

Construction for busiest station on future Toronto subway line is heating up

Popular Ontario road trip destination is being copied with fake version in Toronto

Giant 'beast' sized rats are completely taking over an Ontario city

Last Canada Child Benefit payments before big increase are going out next week

Tornado watches in effect for Southern Ontario as severe thunderstorm approaches

Someone got a horrible TTC tattoo and people in Toronto think it's absolutely hilarious