Monday, August 9th, 2010

A film production assistant was left with a bloody nose on Saturday when an Upper West Side pedestrian let out his frustration about the filming on the man, according to the New York Post.  Premium Rush, an upcoming thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has been filming throughout the Upper West Side in recent weeks, causing temporary parking restrictions and street closings.  The filming was taking place near Broadway and 102nd on Saturday when Breffny Flynn, 43, was angered because he was asked to wait for a few minutes to cross the street.  After shouting “I live here! I pay taxes!” (among some choice obscenities), Flynn headbutted production assistant Steve Lafferty, sending him to the hospital with a bleeding nose and swelling on his face.  Flynn was promptly arrested for assault and released with a desk-appearance ticket, while Lafferty was released from the hospital that afternoon.  The incident highlights a controversy over filming on New York City streets… while it can produce money for the city and many love attempting to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars, a large number of New Yorkers are irked by filmings intruding their neighborhoods, closing off streets to pedestrians, adding to traffic, and limiting parking.

Filed under: News, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog 2 Comments »
Tags: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Premium Rush, Violence