Is Pete Davidson wanted in Upstate New York? Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has called for the Manlius Police Department to reopen a case from last summer against the comedian after he bashed the city in an interview at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Davidson, 25, spoke about his disdain for the city — where he shot his new movie, Big Time Adolescence — during an interview with Variety on Monday, January 28.
“It sucked … The whole town of Syracuse blows,” Davidson bluntly told the publication, hinting that the police had targeted him while he was in town shooting the Jason Orley-directed comedy. “To be honest, they just found out I was there and tried to arrest me the entire time … There’s nothing going on there so they were hunting me down the entire time.”
Police captain Kevin Schafer confirmed to Syracuse.com that the Saturday Night Live star was pulled over in August 2018 for violating vehicle and traffic laws.
Though he wasn’t charged at the time, his pal Joseph “Joey” Gay Jr., was hit with “a violation for unlawful possession of marijuana and a fourth-degree felony for possession of concentrated cannabis.” Schafer noted to Syracuse.com: “When we stop a vehicle, we don’t know who’s in it.” Gay pleaded guilty earlier this month and paid $225 in fines to settle the case.
Following Davidson’s comments at Sundance, Fitzpatrick slammed him in an interview with CNY Central News on Tuesday, January 29, and explained his reasoning for wanting to reopen the case.
“I just heard the comments of Pete Davidson,” the district attorney said. “Not surprisingly, it was the first time I ever heard of Pete Davidson, and apparently he doesn’t like Syracuse. So I did a little background checking on him and, quite frankly, I’d be as likely to take tourism advice from him as I would marriage counseling from O.J. Simpson …”
Fitzpatrick added: “However, I am going to ask Manlius police to look into the charges that were brought against Mr. Davidson and see if they can’t be reopened. And then we’ll see how much he really likes Syracuse.”
He ten referenced Will Ferrell‘s Anchorman character, Ron Burgundy, and said, “Stay classy, Syracuse.”
