‘Phillies Karen,’ Sought by Online Posse for Taking a Boy’s Baseball, Is on the Run
People on social media, as is the tradition these days, have tried, convicted, and called for the punishment of the so-called ‘Phillies Karen.’
A Philadelphia Phillies fan is roiling the self-appointed enforcers of etiquette across social media. Going viral for a heated confrontation over a home-run baseball, she’s now the subject of a digital manhunt — the kind of posse that rides keyboards rather than horses to dispense frontier justice.
The moment, seen on videos viewed by millions, occurred at a Phillies game against the Miami Marlins in Florida. It was just another day at the old ballgame until the fourth inning, when the crack of a bat wielded by a Marlins’ centerfielder, Harrison “Tots” Bader, presented the opportunity to grab a piece of sports history.
Mr. Bader blasted a homer into the stands, sparking a scramble. Drew Feltwell, celebrating the birthday of his son, Lincoln, emerged with the ball after plucking it up from where it landed. But an anonymous woman, since dubbed the “Phillies Karen” online, disputed the call.
As a matter of spectator etiquette, it has become customary of late that even when an adult snatches a ball out of the air with a clean catch, they’re expected to present it to the nearest youngster. Those who hesitate are jeered by the throngs until they comply.
Phillies Karen appeared to flout this tradition, however, demanding the ball. “That was mine,” she shouted. “You took it from me. It was in my hands.” None of the obstructed views captured on video show her having possession, although it appears to have landed near her and Mr. Feltwell ran over to fetch it.
Mr. Feltwell told Philadelphia’s NBC10 that he felt “like Super Dad putting that ball in” Lincoln’s glove. When the woman began screaming into his ear, he tried to “set an example of how to de-escalate a situation” for his son, took the ball back, and surrendered it.
People on social media, as is also tradition, tried, convicted, and called for the punishment of Phillies Karen, who was booed out of the stadium minutes after the confrontation. The effort to unmask her began, and the dragnet trolled digital records in search of the perpetrator.
The cyber sleuths floated several suspects before settling on one, Cheryl Richardson-Wagner, who they alleged was a teacher at New Jersey’s Hammonton Public Schools. A rumor spread that she’d been fired and, because she’d posted criticism of President Trump, some MAGA partisans savored the comeuppance.
But as often happens with mob justice, the wrong neck had ended up in the guillotine. The story began to unravel when the Hammonton Public Schools put out a statement that Ms. Richardson-Wagner didn’t work there. “I’m NOT,” she wrote on Facebook, “the crazy Philly Mom,” declaring herself “a Red Sox fan.”
By that point, Ms. Richardson-Wagner’s phone number and address had been spread online. “I wonder,” she asked, “if I will get apologies from all of these people when the real culprit is discovered.” Seeking legal redress might prove difficult, as most of those doing the doxing hid behind anonymous handles.
Last week at the U.S. Open, a man identified as a millionaire from Poland, Piotr Szczerek, committed a similar offense. He snatched away a hat autographed by a tennis player, Kamil Majchrzak, who intended to give it to a boy. An online posse formed and called for his head.
Mr. Majchrzak met with the fan and told the New York Post that there was “confusion” over who he was giving the cap to. Mr. Szczerek, he said, “wanted to make things right.” Less happy was the ending for Astronomer’s CEO, Andy Byron, roasted in July for canoodling with a woman not his wife at a Coldplay concert.
Both the Marlins and Phillies tried to make amends with the Feltwells. Miami’s home team sent a representative to present a “goodie bag” and apologize. The visitors from the City of Brotherly Love invited them to meet Mr. Bader after their 9-3 victory, and he presented Lincoln with an autographed bat.
The posse of online vigilantes, meanwhile, remains hot on Phillies Karen’s trail — a cautionary tale for the internet age. With cameras everywhere hungry to immortalize our every move, it’s no longer three strikes and you’re out; you can be ejected from the game for anything that’s ruled a foul ball.
