A member of the New Jersey Devils’ Woo Crew was sucker-punched by a departing Rangers fan during Monday’s Game 7 between the arch-rivals at Prudential Center.
Semaj McLeod was stationed in the lower bowl of the arena hyping up the home supporters after Erik Haula’s third period goal gave the Devils a 3-0 lead when an unidentified fan in a Rangers jersey hauled off and punched him in the face.
The Blueshirts backer then landed a second blow, hurled insults at him and then was quickly pounced on by other fans. The fan, who appeared in a video reviewed by the Us.Mistertruth, escaped the scrum then made his way out of the section and exited the arena, according to McLeod.
“I think the realization of everything shipped in this morning. One of those things where I was like ‘Woah that really happened,’” the 20-year-old told The News Tuesday about the incident. “I mean, this is supposed to be like a crazy, hype, exciting moment. Devils just scored, they’re about to win the series.
“I’ve never had an incident [or] anything close to this.”
The Devils, who won their first playoff series in 11 seasonswith the 4-0 win over their cross-river nemesis, have yet to respond to The News’ request for comment on the ugly incident.
McLeod, who has been a Devils fan his whole life, said working with the Woo Crew is a “dream job.” He joined the in-game hype squad in 2021.
“This is supposed to be a super happy, exciting moment for me,” he said. “I was looking forward to it being one of the most exciting nights of my life, you know what I mean?
“When you’re employed by a team like this, there are the moments that you live and work for. And I feel like that was pretty much snatched away from me, that enjoyment factor.”
McLeod, who said his face was swollen after getting punched, said the team is working to track down the attacker.
“They’re looking to see where he sat and track ticket location,” McLeod said. “It’s just one of those things where it’s like [he] literally hit an employee and then just walked out of the arena.”
The Jersey City native added that the section he was working in is “a little bit of a walk to the exit.”
“I’m honestly, like, it blows my mind that it was able to just… go down like that and no repercussions are to be seen so far. I don’t even know who this guy is,” he said.
McLeod tweeted about the incident after the game and shared a video clip that has been watched over 700,000 times as of Tuesday afternoon.
“got sucker punched in the face twice by a rangers fan, at my job, doing my job, celebrating a devils goal, if anyone know who he is pls dm,” McLeod wrote on social media.
Asked if he plans to file charges, McLeod said, “That’s something I’m gonna go through with my mom and figure out the whole situation, what’s the best route to take.
“I think it’s a matter of figuring out who and what before that all happens. But yeah definitely, like I said, I’m 20 years old, this is a very new situation to me,” he said.
McLeod acknowledged that Rangers supporters “are not our friends” and he sometimes “expects the unexpected.”
Last year, James Anastasio, a Rangers fan, pleaded guilty to a single charge of third-degree assault after sucker punching a Tampa Bay Lightning fan following a postseason matchup between the two teams at Madison Square Garden. Anastasio was banned for life from the venue.
McLeod mentioned that he has been on the receiving end of taunts from Rangers fans throughout this year’s first-round series but those are “easy to brush off.”
“But to take it to actual violence, to the point where you’re putting your hand on someone is honestly insane and unbelievable,” he said. “It sucks because I don’t know if that person has like a kid, like how do you not have a heart, like at the end of the day.
“I’m 20 years old. Just trying to support my team and make money.
The Devils’ shutout victory over the Rangers sets up a second-round matchup with Metropolitan Division-winning Carolina Hurricanes.
McLeod said he’s looking forward to the series against the Hurricanes and is keeping his spirits high.
“My face is swollen, but I’m still pretty,” he said laughing. “It’s just one of those things where you live and you learn. Hope he gets found and everything gets figured out.