December 4, 2007: Stephen A. Smith Sighted in State Park
Confusion rippled through Bucks County's Tyler Creek State Park on Sunday after a mountain biker reported spotting former Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter Stephen A. Smith. Gary Walters, 38, of Lambertville, was riding on a creekside path when he heard a rustling in the woods to his left. "There was a kind of snapping of twigs in the deep brush, and I stopped my bike," he said. "I looked back into the trees, and there he was, not twenty feet away. My heart just froze."
 According to police officials, Walters placed a call to 911 at 2:11 PM. "He was very agitated, and kept saying, 'I saw him, I saw him,'" said dispatcher Melissa McCarroll. "I had to ask him to calm down, and tell me where he was and who he saw. But when he said it was Stephen A. Smith, at first I thought it was a prank."
McCarroll notified the park's rangers, who arrived at the scene within minutes--but found no trace of the former host of ESPN's Quite Frankly. "I don't doubt that [Walters] was sincere; he didn't seem like a kook or anything," said Park Ranger John Gianni, who was first to find the shaken biker. "But at the same time, you know, it's hard to believe that Stephen A. Smith is really out there."
Walters snapped a grainy cell phone picture of the media personality [above] before Smith could dart into the underbrush, but admits that the photo is inconclusive. "I was so stunned that I maybe waited a second too long to grab the camera, and by then he was practically gone." he said. "I know nobody believes me, but I swear it was him. I've never heard of a deer with sleepy eyelids and a tiny little mustache."
Following his demotion from columnist to general reporter in mid-September, Smith vanished, leading to widespread theories as to his whereabouts. Inquirer Editor-in-chief William Marimow said that while he hoped Smith was indeed "alive and well," he was skeptical of the sighting. "It's like when somebody sees Elvis in line at the supermarket. But, I'm sorry to say, Elvis ain't coming back--and neither is Stephen." |
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