Crime & Safety

J.R. Smith Surrenders To NYPD Over Tossing Fan's Phone In Chelsea

J.R. Smith was charged with criminal mischief for chucking a fan's cellphone into a Chelsea construction site, authorities said.

CHELSEA, NY — Cleveland Cavaliers player J.R. Smith was charged with criminal mischief Friday after he turned himself into police for tossing a fan’s cell phone into a Chelsea construction site last month, police said.

The ex-Knick turned himself into Chelsea's 10th Precinct with his lawyer to face allegations that stem from a July 29 incident at 2:30 a.m. when a 20-year-old man walked up to Smith on 10th Avenue near West 18th Street to snap a photo of the basketball star on his cell phone. After the man took two photos, Smith allegedly snatched the fan's phone and rocketed it across the street into a construction zone.

The fan reportedly used another person's cell phone to dial 911 and file a complaint against the point guard.

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Smith spent four years with the New York Knicks before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in January 2015.


Photo courtesy of Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

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