Enfield Performer Arrested In New York For Allegedly Trashing Ed Sullivan Theater

A former Enfield resident was arrested in New York City Sunday morning after allegedly breaking into the famed Ed Sullivan Theater and causing considerable damage.

James Whittemore, 22, a 2007 graduate of Enrico Fermi High School in Enfield, was charged with 3rd-degree burglary and 2nd-degree criminal mischief, and was held on $6,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday.

Whittemore, described as a struggling singer/actor, was reported to be intoxicated when police arrived to arrest him inside the theater, where David Letterman's late-night show is taped weekday afternoons.

A surveillance video showed Whittemore urinating on one of the theater lobby's glass doors before kicking it in, then using a velvet-rope stanchion to smash in two other glass doors, according to FoxNews.com. The soundstage where Letterman tapes his show was locked and was spared from damage.

Whittemore had reportedly been singing karaoke at a midtown Manhattan bar, but left around 4 a.m. after being heckled, according to nowpublic.com.

Letterman capitalized on the incident with a Top 10 list Monday night, quipping, "If urinating on a door in New York City is a crime, I am John Dillinger."

Whittemore was an honor roll student and two-sport athlete at Fermi, and was a member of the exclusive Voices Inc. choral group. His online resume says he had roles in the Voices Inc. productions of "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Grease" and "Footloose." While attending Fermi, he worked at the Dairy Queen on Enfield Street.

Whittemore did not return an e-mail from Enfield Patch seeking comment.