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| Two men have been charged in connection with an alleged attack at Camden Yards: Michael Bell, 21, of Annapolis (left) and Gregory Fleischman, 22, of Jarrettsville (right). |
Fortese, a lifelong Yankees fan who wore his team's cap to Wednesday's game, suffered severe head trauma and a skull fracture. He was listed in serious condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center Saturday. Police said they had arrested two men in the incident.
At the hospital, Fortese's family and Queen recounted the ordeal — and a chance encounter with a childhood friend who they said helped save the 25-year-old man's life.
By the fifth or sixth inning of the matchup with the Washington Nationals, the couple had endured about an hour of heckling, mostly about Fortese's hat, from two men sitting a section above them, said Queen, 21. Then one of the men threw a beer that hit the couple, according to police, and when Fortese approached the men and began arguing with them, one punched him in the head.
The blow sent Fortese over a railing and onto the concrete about five feet below.
Two men — Gregory Fleischman, 22, of Jarrettsville, and Michael Bell, 21, of Annapolis — were charged in the attack.
Police said Fleischman punched Fortese.
Fortese's brother, Jimmy, said the family is devastated.
"It's very serious," Jimmy Fortese, 30, said. "They're not saying he's out of the woods yet. They tell us we have to wait and see."
What happened after the assault was providential, Fortese's parents said Friday.
Nathan Steelman, an off-duty state trooper and a childhood friend of Fortese's from Hagerstown, was standing nearby in the left field seats. Steelman and Fortese hadn't seen each other in years but had run into one another at the game and had spoken for about five minutes to catch up.
"You just heard it," Steelman, 26, said Friday of the commotion. "I rushed over, and I realized it was Matt. He wasn't breathing. He was unconscious. Blood was coming from his nose."
He said Fortese had gone as long as 45 seconds without breathing. Steelman, relying on basic emergency medical training he received as a soldier deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, stuck his finger in Fortese's mouth and removed a wad of chewing tobacco that had blocked his airway. Fortese drew a breath.
Steelman looked for the steady rise and fall of Fortese's chest, held his neck in place and moved his arms to his sides. He said he told Fleischman and Bell that he was a trooper and to stay put while Baltimore police responded. Steelman is not mentioned in the police report on the incident.
Fleischman was charged with first- and second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, while Bell faces second-degree assault and disorderly conduct charges. Both were released on $50,000 bond on Friday. Neither had a lawyer listed in court records. The men and their family members could not be reached for comment.
At the hospital, Fortese's family and Queen recounted the ordeal — and a chance encounter with a childhood friend who they said helped save the 25-year-old man's life.
By the fifth or sixth inning of the matchup with the Washington Nationals, the couple had endured about an hour of heckling, mostly about Fortese's hat, from two men sitting a section above them, said Queen, 21. Then one of the men threw a beer that hit the couple, according to police, and when Fortese approached the men and began arguing with them, one punched him in the head.
The blow sent Fortese over a railing and onto the concrete about five feet below.
Two men — Gregory Fleischman, 22, of Jarrettsville, and Michael Bell, 21, of Annapolis — were charged in the attack.
Police said Fleischman punched Fortese.
Fortese's brother, Jimmy, said the family is devastated.
"It's very serious," Jimmy Fortese, 30, said. "They're not saying he's out of the woods yet. They tell us we have to wait and see."
What happened after the assault was providential, Fortese's parents said Friday.
Nathan Steelman, an off-duty state trooper and a childhood friend of Fortese's from Hagerstown, was standing nearby in the left field seats. Steelman and Fortese hadn't seen each other in years but had run into one another at the game and had spoken for about five minutes to catch up.
"You just heard it," Steelman, 26, said Friday of the commotion. "I rushed over, and I realized it was Matt. He wasn't breathing. He was unconscious. Blood was coming from his nose."
He said Fortese had gone as long as 45 seconds without breathing. Steelman, relying on basic emergency medical training he received as a soldier deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, stuck his finger in Fortese's mouth and removed a wad of chewing tobacco that had blocked his airway. Fortese drew a breath.
Steelman looked for the steady rise and fall of Fortese's chest, held his neck in place and moved his arms to his sides. He said he told Fleischman and Bell that he was a trooper and to stay put while Baltimore police responded. Steelman is not mentioned in the police report on the incident.
Fleischman was charged with first- and second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, while Bell faces second-degree assault and disorderly conduct charges. Both were released on $50,000 bond on Friday. Neither had a lawyer listed in court records. The men and their family members could not be reached for comment.
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