Metro

Police: Man intentionally vomited on family at Phillies game

PHILADELPHIA — The saying that baseball is a gentleman’s game has one more strike against it.

A 21-year-old New Jersey man was being held on $36,000 bail Friday after police said he intentionally vomited on a man and one of his daughters attending a Philadelphia Phillies game.

Matthew Clemmens of Cherry Hill, N.J., has been charged with assault, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and related offenses for the incident at Wednesday night’s Phillies-Nationals game.

Police said Clemmens was angry that his friend was ejected earlier from Citizens Bank Park for spitting on Vangelo’s younger daughter, the father said, because his older daughter asked the loutish duo to stop cursing.

Clemmens retaliated by vomiting on Michael Vangelo, an off-duty Easton police captain, and his daughter, Philadelphia police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said.

In roughly 100 Phillies games over 20 years, Vangelo said, he has never seen boorish behavior like what he witnessed from the man seated behind him, his 11- and 15-year-old daughters and the older girl’s boyfriend.

“It was the most vile, disgusting thing I’ve ever seen,” Vangelo said Friday. “He has two fingers down his throat, he lunges forward and vomits on myself and my 11-year-old.”

Vangelo, 48, said as he tried to push his children safely behind him, Clemmens punched him in the face. He said he suffered a bruised jaw and had blood coming out of his ear but didn’t strike back — as much as he might have liked to.

“I was thinking about my children — what would happen to them if I was arrested?” he said. “I also was thinking about my job and providing for my family. I thought, ’I can’t get arrested, I can’t have that happen.’”

He said four or five fans in the next section, including a friend of Vangelo’s who coincidentally was at the game, rushed to help and took down Clemmens. They held him until police arrived — someone punching Clemmens in the face as he tried to break free — and an officer was also hit with vomit, Vanore said.

“I was at Game 5 in 2008 when we won the World Series,” Vangelo said, referring to the Phillies’ win that year. “To be there with true baseball fans, to celebrate and hug and high-five people you don’t know, that’s what it’s all about.”

A fan who caught a ball thrown from the dugout into the stands handed it to Vangelo’s 11-year-old.

“We were driving home and she was crying,” he said, “but she held on to that ball. She slept with it that night and took it to school the next day.”

Vangelo said he has declined a flurry of offers from people and groups for Phillies tickets and perks such as limousine rides to games. He asked that fans instead make a donation to the Easton Police Athletic League.

The Phillies said Clemmens is not a season-ticket holder and it was unclear how he got his ticket.

Vangelo said he will be back for more games this season, but his daughters aren’t so sure.

“They’re undecided, but we’ll talk about it,” he said.

A phone number for Clemmens was disconnected Friday. .