Comedian Kevin Meaney arrested for elbowing woman at NYC airport

NEW YORK: Stand-up comedian Kevin Meaney was arrested at a New York City airport and charged with assault for elbowing a woman in the chest, police said on Wednesday.

Meaney, 58, is accused of walking toward the 29-year-old woman at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday evening and elbowing her in front of witnesses, leaving her in pain, the Port Authority Police Department said.

Meaney, who lives in New York City, was in jail on Wednesday waiting arraignment for misdemeanor assault, police said.

Meaney and the woman, who is from Grand Forks, North Dakota, did not know each other and it was not clear what led to the incident, police said, but the victim and two witnesses said the elbowing appeared deliberate. Meaney and the woman had been due to leave the airport on different flights, police said.

Meaney, who has appeared on various televised comedy specials and late-night talk shows and acted in the musical “Hairspray” on Broadway for several years, could not be reached for comment. It was not clear whether he had a lawyer.-Reuters