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NEW YORK (CNN) — Four people have been charged in connection with a fight between fans caught on camera at an NFL game on Sunday, including the woman who was seen in the video being punched in the face, according to police.
Amanda MacDowell, 25; Jaclyn Nugent, 26; David James Sacco, 28; and Kurt Paschke, 38, were all charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct on Tuesday, according to a statement released by New Jersey State Police.
In a video of the incident that was posted on YouTube and Deadspin.com, MacDowell, Nugent and Sacco were seen getting into a verbal argument with Paschke inside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, during Sunday’s New York Jets vs. New England Patriots game, police said. MacDowell and Nugent then began kicking and punching Paschke in the body and head.
After the video of the incident was posted online, it quickly made headlines. A commentator on Deadspin said the fight started over a rivalry between the fans of the opposing teams. The Jets won the game 30-27.
MacDowell, Nugent and Sacco, all from Massachusetts, are seen in the video wearing Patriots colors: red, white and blue. Paschke, a New York resident, was wearing a Jets jersey.
“Even a quick review of the video and just talking to a couple witnesses, you can see Kurt was defending himself and (he)shouldn’t have been charged at all and certainly won’t be convicted,” said Paschke’s lawyer, Bruce Barket.
MacDowell and Sacco could not be reached for comment. A family member of Nugent said she did not have a comment.
Paschke was convicted in 1995 of negligent homicide after fatally stabbing 17-year-old Henry Ferrer in a fight behind a pizzeria, according to records from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
Paschke served three years and was placed on parole. He has been arrested twice since then, both times for disorderly conduct, records showed. He is now a Long Island bartender.
Colleen Paschke told CNN affiliate WCBS that her son was “set up by a white supremacy group, and unfortunately, he ended up taking the blame for the stabbing of another youth.”
The video of the football game incident shows Paschke being pulled away from a fight. A blond woman then steps forward to confront him, and Paschke punches her on the left side of her head. Police say that Paschke punched Nugent in the face. In the video, it also appears that a bystander hit Paschke in response.
“We are aware of the situation and we do not tolerate that behavior,” a Jets spokesman said. “Parties involved were detained and this matter is now in the hands of the New Jersey State Police.”
CNN’s Jillian Martin, Leslie Bentz and Lorenzo Ferrigno contributed to this report.
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