Man Accused Of Masturbating During Half-Marathon In New Jersey

"There are several witness accounts," the police captain said.
A file photo of runners in a race.
A file photo of runners in a race.
John Baird via Getty Images

A man watching a half-marathon in Emerson, New Jersey, on Sunday allegedly dropped his pajama pants and began masturbating.

Dozens of runners witnessed the act, the Daily Voice reported, leading police to arrest 55-year-old Thomas Pantuso afterward on a street corner.

“There were several people who saw him, so there are several witness accounts,” Emerson Police Capt. Michael McDermott told the newspaper.

Pantuso was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Hundreds competed in the 13.1-mile event, known traditionally as the Run the Reservoir, with proceeds benefiting pediatric cancer research.

Runner’s World noted that the alleged offense appears to have occurred about a mile into the race, meaning that the runners had about a dozen miles to go after witnessing the incident.

HuffPost has reached out to Emerson police for an update.

It seems runners elsewhere have had to contend with similar behavior before.

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