The New Jersey man who made an unauthorized appearance on the field at Shea Stadium during a Mets game earlier this month says the Queens DA’s office is playing hardball with him.
McCarthy, 38, is facing up to a year in prison under a new law inspired by an incident last year in which famed fashion designer Calvin Klein wandered onto the court at a Knicks game.
“I’m not Calvin Klein,” said John McCarthy, who is due to appear in Queens Criminal Court today. “That was totally different than my situation.”
McCarthy said he fell onto the field trying to catch a foul ball, so he doesn’t deserve the jail time or the $5,000 in penalties the law allows.
“I apologize that the game got stopped, but the fact is, I couldn’t get back over the wall,” said the 38-year-old sales manager from Clifton.
McCarthy admitted holding up a sign reading, “Howard Stern for president, Here’s Johnny,” might have made it look like a planned stunt.