An intoxicated man broke into the famed Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan early this morning and trashed the lobby, police said.
Cops arrived at 7 a.m. to respond to a 911 call for a burglary in progress and discovered an allegedly drunk James Whittemore, 22, inside the Broadway theater, located between West 53rd and West 54th streets, sources said.
Glass panes in three out of the theater’s four entry double-door sets had been smashed. In the lobby, garbage pails were knocked over and several velvet rope stanchions had been toppled.
Whittemore, of Manhattan, was apparently unable to gain access to the studio because its doors were padlocked.
He was apprehended at the scene and brought to an undisclosed hospital to be treated for a cut to his head, sources said.
He has since been placed under arrest and transported to the Midtown-North Precinct, where he was charged with burglary and criminal mischief, sources added.
The theater has been home to the “Late Show with David Letterman” since 1993.
The vandalism will not stop the taping of tomorrow’s show, CBS and Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, said in a statement. Slated to appear are actress Emma Watson from “Harry Potter,” actor Chris Evans from “Captain America,” comedian George Lopez and rock band Incubus.
In June 2009, a burglar stole a $50,000 handheld Sony camera and a $15,000 Canon lens from an office inside the theater.
A manager arrived at work and discovered a video- and audio-equipment-room door left ajar, sources told The Post at the time.
The crook was never caught, but cops said Whittemore did not pull off the unsolved heist.
Police say a drunken James Whittemore, 22, broke into Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan. (Warzer jaff)