CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Rocky River man has been arrested and charged with throwing a water bottle that hit Browns owner Jimmy Haslam after the New York Jets scored on their last possession on Sunday.
The 51-year-old, who has not been charged in Cleveland Municipal Court, was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and failure to follow a direct warrant. The team plans to ban the fan.
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer contacted the man, and a person who answered the phone said he was unavailable.
The incident became national news after NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero captured the moment on video after filming Garrett Wilson’s capture in the closing seconds of Sunday’s loss to the Jets, 31-30. While walking through the crowd on the west side of the stadium, Pelissero found Haslam walking into the locker room tunnel. He appears to be hit with an object on the right side of his body
In a Cleveland police report filed Tuesday afternoon, officers said the Rocky River man was seen lifting the plastic bottle on video surveillance from Section 138 of the FirstEnergy Stadium. Officers warned others in the complex of the man’s description.
An officer later saw him exit the stadium and told him to stop. According to a police report, the man refused. Security officers eventually grabbed him and held him.
Officers said the man appeared to be intoxicated and told them his bottle “never hit the field,” the report said.
After the game, Haslam, who was on the pitch, walked slowly to the locker room amid stunned and angry fans. He was hit by the bottle, prompting him to look and point to the stands, according to Pelissero’s video.
“The safety of fans, players and staff is of the highest priority in our building and behavior that endangers others will not be tolerated,” the team said in a statement. “Luckily no one was injured in this incident and by default we have worked with law enforcement agencies and security video footage of the object being thrown is in the right hands. We will not comment further on this.”