Joey Chestnut Has Altercation with Protester During Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Joey Chestnut continued his dominance of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest with his 15th title, but Monday's event was far from routine.
A protestor rushed the stage in the middle of the competition, holding a sign while wearing a Darth Vader mask. Chestnut took matters into his own hands, grabbing the person by the neck before throwing him to the ground, per Scott Gleeson of USA Today.
Twitter user Jonah Block captured the incident through the New York City Walking Show:
Security was able to get the person off the stage while Chestnut and the rest of the field continued with the competition.
The New York Police Department later said three people were in custody as a result of the incident, per TMZ.
Even with the disruption, Chestnut took home another title with 63 hot dogs and buns eaten:
It was 20 more than the next closer competitor, although he still fell short of his own record of 76 in the 10-minute time frame.
The total was also well under the betting line of 74.5 hot dogs, although DraftKings announced it would refund bets due to the disturbance.
