Miss Pennsylvania contestant pulls out of pageant after 'rival' sends bloodcurdling death threats vowing to burn her, her dogs and boyfriend alive

• e-mail

A contestant for the Miss Pennsylvania pageant has pulled out of the competition after receiving bloodcurdling death threats from her rival, saying she fears for her safety. 

Former Miss Susquehanna Valley Robyn Kass-Gerji on Saturday took to Instagram to announce that she was hanging up her crown, a few days before the pageant was meant to start on Thursday at the Appell Center in York, Pennsylvania. 

She said: 'It is unfortunate, but I will not be competing at Miss Pennsylvania this week. I have officially resigned as Miss Susquehanna Valley 2024.

'After months of death threats, bullying, and being granted a 2 year order of protection after a trial, I am still not safe if I attend the Miss Pennsylvania Competition in York, PA.

'I can no longer go on and support an organization that is meant to empower and uplift women, when in truth I feel I have been re-victimized and shamed by the organization and those who work around it.'

Robyn Kass-Gerji, a contestant for the Miss Pennsylvania pageant, has pulled out of the competition after receiving bloodcurdling death threats from her rival, saying she fears for her safety

In her statement, the now-retired beauty queen said that 'the whole point of competing' was so that she could earn scholarship money, and to 'advocate for those who cannot or are unwilling to advocate for themselves'. 

'How can I be a part of a program that has put me down when I've tried to advocate and stand up for myself and the other young women who have been harassed and assaulted?', she added. 

Kass-Gerji, who is Jewish, said she has been performing in pageants for years, beginning her journey after getting 'bullied really badly in high school', to 'help with my self confidence'. 

In an interview with CBS 21 News, Kass-Gerji said that she has received death threats and has been the subject of bullying for the last several months. 

She claimed the person responsible for sending her the menacing messages is a fellow Miss Pennsylvania contestant who is also competing for the crown. 

Screenshot shows an example of the kind of text messages Kass-Gerji received from one of her fellow contestants, which led her to withdraw herself from the Miss Pennsylvania contest

Messages Kass-Gerji received included death threats to her, her boyfriend and her pets

She shared screenshots of the texts, which were reportedly sent from a phone number that was connected with a fellow contestant. 

One screenshot showed how the person behind the death threats told the former pageant contestant: 'I swear if you leave DC I will ruin your house. I will come to DC and set your house on fire and what you scream as your stupid dogs die. It will be so funny'.

Another message said: 'Maybe I'll even take care of that awful boyfriend of yours'. 

Each text she received got darker. One eerie message said: 'I can't wait to see the life leave your eyes as I crush your whole world. You will will yourself. Or I will kill you.' 

Kass-Gerji held the position of Miss Miss Susquehanna Valley 2024

The former pageant contestant was hoping to earn scholarship money through the competition

Kass-Gerji ended up removing herself from the competition for her own safety

Other messages threatened her pets and her boyfriend. 

'Tell him that when I kill you that I'm going to kill him too. And your stupid dogs'. 

Another message said: 'I will first stab your boyfriend and then set your house on fire so everyone thinks you did it'. 

The individual responsible for sending these messages has not been charged with a crime. 

Kass-Gerji told CBS that she was also threatened by the same individual in person, at the Miss Pennsylvania orientation. 

The former Miss Susquehanna Valley 2024 beauty queen spoke to CBS 21 News about her decision to step down from the competition

'It was a very quick incident. I was going into the bathroom as she was coming out and she whispered, 'I will get rid of you, I will punch you' and she just kept walking and I just kind of stood there,' she told cameras. 

The two women eventually went to court, and Kass-Gerji was granted an anti-stalking order from a Washington DC court, which instructed the rival contestant to stay at least 100 yards from Kass-Gerji.

However, the order did carve out an exception for pageants, which instructed that the two contestants should be separated by 20 feet. 

However, Kass-Gerji said that she did not receive any specific plans from the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Foundation regarding security at the contest, as well as the other events taking place leading up to it. 

This led her to give up her Miss Susquehanna Valley crown. 

'I didn't want to, but ultimately it was the best decision for the safety of myself and my loved ones,' Kass-Gerji said. 

Following Kass-Gerji's resignation, the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Foundation issued a statement which said: 'Of course, safety and security is, and has always been, at the forefront of Miss Pennsylvania’s operations. We want to ensure that all our candidates, volunteers and judges are safe while they are in York for competition week activities. This year we engaged additional security services from an external local company to help us ensure that this week’s activities happen according to plan, and we can create a positive and memorable experience for all involved with our program. To further specifically address the concerns of the petitioner, the York City police were notified, and a copy of the Anti-Stalking Order was forwarded to them. Detailed plans were also put into place to keep the contestants separated. All of this was in addition to security provided by the event venue, as well as the multiple chaperones who are present throughout the week.' 

However, the foundation said it believes there is another reason why Kass-Gerji may have resigned. 

'Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the petitioner appears to be registered to vote in Washington D.C., she has a car registered in Washington D.C. and she has worked there since 2023. She also appears to be listed as a current candidate for a competing pageant in Washington D.C., which is a separate violation of her contract.'

The foundation added that when asked to provide a copy of her current driver's license to confirm that her actual resident was in Pennsylvania, Kass-Gerji resigned, citing 'safety concerns'.  

The former contestant challenged this, however, telling CBS 21 that she owns a house and pays her taxes in Pennsylvania.