UPDATED 8/22, 8:45 p.m. ET: Gary Busey denied the allegations against him several times in a stilted exchange with TMZ while putting gas in his car.
The 78-year-old claimed, “Nothing happened. Nothing. It was all false.” He also said his accusers “made up a story that I assaulted them sexually, when I did not” and that he doesn’t “carry any regrets with me ever.”
Asked what he’d like to say to fans concerned about him, he told the paparazzo, “I don’t care. Because there are no accusations.”
TMZ also got a look at legal documents in the case, noting that a woman says “Busey put his face close to her breasts and asked her where she got them.” The outlet continues, “He then allegedly attempted to unlatch her bra strap. The other woman claimed he grabbed her butt.” The next day a father told police that Busey allegedly groped his daughter’s butt also.
Gary Busey reportedly told police he had acted appropriately, then asking to apologize to the women and “claiming that sometimes it is possible to accidentally touch someone in a specific body part.”
Page Six noted Busey was filmed in a park in Malibu shortly after the news with his pants halfway down while he sat on a bench. “His hands were crossed over his legs before he untied his pants to properly pull them back up,” the outlet wrote.
See original story below.
Gary Busey has been charged with multiple sex offenses.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 78-year-old actor is accused of groping at least two people during last week’s Monster-Mania Convention, a semi-annual New Jersey event that celebrates horror films and their stars. Social media posts show Busey meeting with fans during the convention held Aug. 12-14 at the Doubletree Hotel in Cherry Hill. Though the local police department has declined to provide details about the case, they confirmed it stemmed from “multiple complaints” throughout the three-day event, from which he was allegedly removed.
“It was about contact,” Cherry Hill Township Police Lt. Robert Scheunemann told the Inquirer. “It was about touching.”
After investigating the allegations, police charged Busey with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, one count of fourth-degree attempted sexual assault, and a single count of harassment. It’s unclear if Busey—a resident of Malibu, California—is still in New Jersey.
CHPD confirmed the investigation is ongoing. Busey has yet to publicly respond to the charges.
A Monster-Mania Convention lawyer told the New York Times that the company is aiding authorities in the investigation after an “alleged incident involving attendees and a celebrity guest.”
“Immediately upon receiving a complaint from the attendees, the celebrity guest was removed from the convention and instructed not to return,” stated Nikitas Moustakas said. “Monster-Mania also encouraged the attendees to contact the police to file a report. The safety and well-being of all our attendees is of the utmost importance to Monster-Mania, and the company will not tolerate any behavior that could compromise those values.”
With 180 acting credits, Busey began his career in the 1960s and went on to appear in 1976’s A Star Is Born as well as Silver Bullet, Lethal Weapon, Point Break, Rookie of the Year, and many more. The Buddy Holly Story earned him a National Society of Film Critics award as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
