Pittsburgh Pirates employee fights fan at PNC Park, uses belt as weapon

Things got physical during Sunday’s Pittsburgh Pirates-San Diego Padres game at PNC Park. No, not between players on the field, but in the concourse between a game day employee and a fan.

The employee and fan got into a fight, in which the employee connected with at least five right hands to the fan’s face. As bystanders and other employees attempted to de-escalate the situation, the fan then spit on the employee, prompting him to take off his belt and begin using it as a weapon.

“A Pirates game day employee and a fan got into a fight during Sunday's game at PNC Park”

What the actual hell is happening at PNC this year?

pic.twitter.com/PFrnM44e4A

— Nick Maraldo (@nickmaraldo) May 5, 2025

According to KDKA, the fight broke out when the fan and his friend allegedly started harassing a woman working at a concession stand. The Pirates announced the gameday employee has been suspended.

“We are aware of the unfortunate incident that occurred following the conclusion of yesterday’s game between a PNC Park game day employee and a guest. The employee’s behavior was entirely unacceptable, and he was immediately suspended,” the team said in a statement. “This incident is currently under further investigation.” 

The Pirates are reviewing security footage. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, who ended up on the scene, are a part of the investigation.

Pirates fan update: Promising news emerges on former CFB player who fell over PNC Park railing

This is just the latest incident to occur at PNC Park this season. During last Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, a fan fell from the top of a 21-foot-high wall onto the warning track. Former college football player Kavan Markwood slipped off a railing and onto the field. Jennifer Phillips, the organizer of Markwood’s GoFundMe page, said he took his first steps on Monday since the fall.

On Saturday, Phillips announced that Markwood was “alert” and “able to speak.” She then said, “After everything he’s been through since the accident on Wednesday night, this progress feels nothing short of miraculous. He still has a long road ahead of him, but today brought a moment of hope that we’ve all been holding onto.”

Markwood played football at Walsh University and Wheeling University. His former Wheeling coach, Zac Bruney, told TMZ Sports that he left the program in 2024 for work, but the team hoped to have him back this fall. During the 2023 season, Markwood played in five of the team’s 11 games and recorded four tackles.