Once again, life imitates art. In the movie “Nightcrawler,” a creepy guy desperate for work begins making video recordings of crime scenes and accidents to sell to local news outlets but soon crosses the line between observer and participant.
It might be said that Paul Pelton, 41, of Lorain, Ohio, crossed a similar line. From Fox8 Cleveland:
Shortly before 1 a.m. Monday, a car crashed into a house on Kansas Avenue in Lorain. Police said the 17-year-old driver was incapacitated and the passenger, Cameron Friend, was left unconscious. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Neighbors rushed to help the teens while they waited for paramedics. But police said Paul Pelton, of Lorain, didn’t attempt to aid the boys. Instead, he recorded video on his cell phone.
“While others were rendering aid to these boys, a male took the opportunity to video this horrible scene with his cell phone. In the video, the male makes comments that the boys were ‘Idiots,’ and holds his cell phone so that he can film these two boys who were in medical crisis,” Lorain police said. He’s accused of opening the car door to get a better view.
Like Louis Bloom, the obsessive videographer in “Nightcrawler,” Pelton posted his video to Facebook and attempted to sell it to at least two news stations but failed to turn the recording over to authorities.
Police have called it an attempt to make a profit from “a young man’s dying moments.” Pelton was arrested at his house on a vehicle trespass charge.
Now Pelton’s transition from observer to participant is complete. He is the “star” (if that’s the correct term) of this Fox8 news video in which he musters an apology for his unconscionable acts.
