It could have been the perfect crime. Justin Buchanan, 19, dashed onto the field at last night’s Cubs-Reds game (while filming himself the entire way), tried to say hi to Billy Hamilton, tossed his phone onto the grass over the centerfield wall, hopped the fence, clambered up into the seats, and disappeared into the anonymity of the concourse. He escaped the stadium, made the two-hour drive home to Noblesville, Ind., and would’ve gotten away with it. Except he posted his video to his Twitter account, and now he’s doing interviews. Teens, man.
Buchanan planned for this. “I actually googled on the way to the game, ‘consequences of getting caught,’” he told ABC 6 Indianapolis. He even warned his mother.
“My mom, when I texted her about it, she asked if I was ready to be escorted out of the game,” Buchanan said. “And I told her that it’d be fine. She actually told me if I got in trouble, my car money’s for bail.”
On his Twitter account, now protected, Buchanan made a series of updates preparing for his run.
“Stay Tuned.”
“Everyone turn on the Cubs reds game. 8th inning. Stay tuned”
“Here goes nothing”
And then he went. Buchanan posted his selfie video to Twitter. He’s since taken it down, but we preserved a copy which you can watch above.
Here’s Buchanan’s dash as seen from the stands:
And here’s his escape.
Reaction on the field was mixed. Billy Hamilton, who sidestepped Buchanan’s attempt at a high-five (“I told him ‘What’s up,’” Buchanan said. “What he said back was not the nicest.”), wasn’t happy.
The fans were losing their minds, though, and home plate ump Manny Gonzalez couldn’t help getting caught up in it.
Buchanan, who will start school at the University of Southern Indiana this fall, said the whole thing was because he lost a bet with his friends.
I should say here: don’t do this. But if you do do this, do like Buchanan did and plan your escape route. And if you do that, and get away scot-free, don’t talk to the local news and give your name. The Reds don’t like being embarrassed, and they like you rubbing it in their faces even less.
Buchanan still thinks he’ll be fine.
“I mean, I did it, you’ve got to live with the consequences, but I don’t think I’ll necessarily regret it,” Buchanan said. “I don’t think I’ll be in all that much of trouble, at least I hope not. I think it was just kind of something fun to do.”