(Headline USA) An Ohio man was arrested for the throwing of a sex toy at a WNBA game in New York, police said Thursday.
It’s the latest development in a string of disturbances where similar toys were tossed at WNBA games across the country, resulting in at least three arrests.
Charles Burgess, 32, from Dayton, Ohio, was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of assault for allegedly throwing an object at the Dallas Wings vs. New York Liberty game on Aug. 5, hitting a 12-year-old girl, according to New York City police.
Burgess pleaded not guilty after driving from Ohio and voluntarily surrendering himself to New York authorities, his lawyer, Paul D’Emilia, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday. He was released pending his next court date in December.
D’Emilia said Burgess, an auto body shop owner with six children and no criminal record, intends to “vigorously fight these embellished and exaggerated charges.”
A fan threw a dildo on the court during a WNBA game 🤯😭pic.twitter.com/RCQfNqIS03
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) July 30, 2025
Court documents provided by the prosecutors say surveillance video shows Burgess pulling the sex toy from his pants and hurling it toward the court. But his lawyer says the video doesn’t appear to show anyone actually being struck by the projectile.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
