BOSTON — A Newburyport teen is facing a felony charge after breaking into Fenway Park on Saturday, according to Boston Police. Police identified the man as Seamus Webster, 19, and said he was being charged with trespassing and breaking and entering in the nighttime.
Officers reportedly responded to Fenway Park at around 1:40 a.m. The media outlet Live Boston captured photos of the incident.
According to Daniel Linskey, a former Boston Police superintendent and current security analyst for Boston 25 News, Webster’s felony charge may not hold up in court.
On Sunday night, the Boston Red Sox released the following statement to Boston 25 News:
“We are aware of the incident that took place on Saturday around 1:30 a.m. when Fenway Park security apprehended a man trespassing. The suspect was turned over to the Boston Police Department who are handling the investigation. Fenway Park is under 24/7security surveillance and individuals caught trespassing will face serious criminal charges.”
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“If I’m his attorney on Monday morning I’m going to be arguing that his only intent was to trespass, which was the misdemeanor. And I would say that 266 16A, breaking and entering with intent to commit a misdemeanor, would be an appropriate charge,” he said Sunday.
Linskey said that Webster would be better suited to be charged with Section 16A:
Section 16A. Whoever in the nighttime or daytime breaks and enters a building, ship, vessel or vehicle with intent to commit a misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
“I think an argument can be made that a college kid climbing up the Green Monster on a Saturday night is probably there to say he did it and wasn’t there to commit a larceny or steal anything,” Linskey said.
Linskey told Boston 25 News that a plea agreement is the more likely outcome, with stricter punishment potentially coming down from the college the teen attends.
On February 15, Boston 25 News reported on a similar incident that involved two young adults breaking into Fenway Park and running around on the field.
The illegal venture was later posted to the popular social media platform TikTok and was investigated by the Boston Police Department.
Webster is expected to face his charges at Roxbury Municipal Court on Monday.