Man arrested in Long Island for allegedly stalking Drew Barrymore, days after NYC encounter

Randi Richardson
·2 min read
4

A man suspected of stalking Drew Barrymore was arrested in Long Island, New York, police said, days after he rushed the stage and confronted the actor during an event in New York City.

Chad Michael Busto, 43, was arrested and booked on Aug. 24 just before midnight, the Southampton Town Police said in a press release.

Patrol officers responding to a 911 call about a suspicious person temporarily detained Busto on Aug. 23, but released him after questioning, police said.

Busto was "riding a bicycle up into private driveways" in the town of Sagaponack and telling people "he was looking for Drew Barrymore's residence," Southampton police said. He appeared to leave the area after the encounter with the officers.

Patrol officers then notified the detective division, which did a follow-up investigation. As a result, police issued a charge for stalking and "a wanted flyer was distributed to neighboring agencies."

Officers from the East Hampton Town police took Busto into custody on the afternoon of Aug. 24 and turned him over to Southampton detectives.

Busto, of Washington, D.C., was charged with stalking in the fourth degree, a class B misdemeanor. Busto was arraigned and released on Aug. 25, and is due back in court Sept. 12. A judge ordered him to wear an ankle monitor and to stay away from Barrymore.

Police also said Busto was suspected of stalking the 48-year-old actor and TV host "due to previous incidents."

On Friday, Southampton Police confirmed to TODAY.com that Busto was the same person who charged the stage during an appearance Barrymore was making on Aug. 21 in New York City.

In a clip of the incident circulating on social media, a man called out Barrymore's name, visibly startling her, and identified himself as Busto.

"I'm Chad Michael Busto," the man said, as he approached the stage at 92nd Street Y, a cultural center on Manhattan's Upper East Side. "You know who I am."

Security intervened and escorted the man away, while Barrymore and her co-host at the panel event, actor and singer Reneé Rapp, hurried off the stage together.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com