A youth soccer league in Newark had to cancel a game over the weekend because a helicopter set to pick up New Jersey Devils' co-owner Josh Harris was parked in the middle of the field, according to published reports.
NJ.com and Deadspin.com both reported that security personnel unexpectedly cleared a soccer field at St. Benedict's Prep on Sunday night about 15 minutes before an under-13 soccer game was about to start so the helicopter could land.
The chopper sat on the field for about 45 minutes because a Devils game at the nearby Prudential Center had gone into overtime, keeping Harris in the arena. When the co-owner, who also holds a stake in the Philadelphia 76ers, didn't show up by 8 p.m., coaches decided to cancel the game.
"I've never seen anything like that before," one parent, Bruce Miller, told NJ.com. "Is this really the only place in Newark that someone can land a helicopter?"
Another parent told Deadspin that the landing was "selfish."
"I am not sure when or if Harris ever showed up to remove his helicopter from the field, but I hope that he had a great night. There are a number of 12 year olds and youth soccer fans who did not — because of Harris’s selfish behavior," the parent said.
A spokesman for the Devils told NJ.com that Harris uses the field regularly and that generally landings are scheduled through the school so they don't interfere with other activities. He told NBC 4 New York the landing resulted from a scheduling conflict, and the soccer teams would be guests at an upcoming Prudential Center event.
"If Josh knew he was interrupting a youth game this never would have happened," the spokesman said. "It's not about the passenger; it was about the scheduling conflict due to poor communication."
