Man who rushed at Ariana Grande at Universal Studios Singapore charged with being a public nuisance
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Event crasher Johnson Wen (in white) is accused of committing the offence at Universal Studios Singapore on Nov 13. During the commotion, a protective Cynthia Erivo (in black) forced herself between Ariana Grande (in light blue) and Wen, as security guards quickly nabbed him.
ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG
SINGAPORE – The man who charged at pop star Ariana Grande
Johnson Wen, 26, an Australian who appeared in a district court via video link, is accused of committing the offence on Nov 13 at the premiere of Wicked: For Good, which Grande stars in.
An unrepresented Wen told the court on Nov 14 that he intends to plead guilty. He is expected to do so on Nov 17.
According to court documents, he allegedly caused a commotion during the event on the evening of Nov 13.
In multiple videos of the incident at the theme park at Resorts World Sentosa that have gone viral, he jumped a barricade and rushed towards the actress, putting his arm around her.
She recoiled in shock, but co-star Cynthia Erivo forced herself between Grande and Wen, while security guards quickly apprehended him.
He was then tossed back over the barricade by a member of the security team.
After the incident, the rest of the cast – including Michelle Yeoh – huddled around Grande to check if she was all right before continuing down the yellow carpet to greet fans and sign autographs.
Ariana Grande being comforted by her co-star Cynthia Erivo after the incident.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Footage posted online showed Wen being escorted out of the venue by security.
He is a serial intruder, having disrupted many international events, including Katy Perry’s Sydney concert in June and the men’s 100m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He documents his antics on an Instagram account, with the bio describing himself as the “2023 World Cup Final Pitch Invader” and “Troll Most Hated”.
The Sentosa premiere was the only Asian stop on the film’s international promotional tour, which ends in New York City on Nov 17.
Grande, Erivo, Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and director Jon M. Chu were greeting fans, who had paid more than $90 to enter the ticketed event.
For being a public nuisance, an offender can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $2,000 or both.
