Ariana Grande Fan Detained After Trying to Surprise Singer While Wearing a Santa Suit

Image via Associated Press

A Lowell man who was reprimanded by police and told to stop sending extravagant gifts—including a 42-pound pumpkin—to pop star Ariana Grande, ignored the department’s warnings and showed up at the singer’s record company in New York City last week, this time dressed head-to-toe in a Santa Claus costume.

Timothy Normandin, 29, who told Boston last month that he had no plans to ease up on reaching out to Grande to express his feelings for her, was reportedly detained and sent for a mental health evaluation after the impromptu appearance at the singer’s record label headquarters during the Thanksgiving holiday. Besides the suit, Normandin admitted that he also carried in a 4-foot-tall white Christmas tree to the building, to give to Grande.

In his own words, Normandin wrote in a public post about the incident that it was an “absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving week,” despite being detained.

“I went to tell Ariana Grande and got cuffed by security at URR [the record label],” he wrote. “Got taken to St. Luke’s psychiatric where I was wrestled by the hospital army and [my] face shoved (smashing one of my hearing aids) to be pumped with ‘medication’ on my very last breath before passing out, which I didn’t do.”

As reported by TMZ, Normandin admitted that he spent several days at the mental health facility before he was turned loose, still wearing the Santa costume, onto the streets of New York City. He then spent time sleeping in a homeless shelter—by choice—before eventually boarding a bus back to Massachusetts a day after Thanksgiving.

During his time in the city, Normandin said he roamed the streets of Manhattan “spreading cheer” in his holiday-themed outfit. Despite the incident, he made the best of his experience, he said.

“I still had a great time handling that mess of a situation,” said Normandin in his Facebook post about the apprehension and time in the psych ward. “Having been in the Santa Claus gear all week and still, I wanted to spend Thanksgiving day walking around Manhattan spreading cheer in the busiest city, New York. It was so great to see so many smiles come across the faces of kids, ladies, and gents when their eyes rolled onto me.”

Normandin was first told by Lowell Police last month to stop reaching out to Grande, after security officials from the singer’s record label told officers that he had sent candles, a massive pumpkin, and other presents to their building. He decided on the Santa costume and Christmas tree stunt after Grande released a new song called “Santa, Tell Me.”

After someone told Normandin on his Facebook page that he shouldn’t waste time on Grande, since she hasn’t been receptive to his pleas for attention, he brushed off the suggestion.

“She is probably minimally aware of such events if at all. Based on the messages that I’m getting from the URR security, she IS minimally or not at all aware,” he said. “Even if fully aware, if a change could happen in her mind for the better, I don’t see more shared potential in any other, and I or in Ariana Grande.”