'Boston Marathon Dad' Mike Rossi Arrested In Upper Gwynedd

UPPER GWYNEDD, PA — Mike Rossi, the man who gained notoriety across the Internet following a controversy over his marathon times, was arrested this past weekend in Upper Gwynedd following a violent domestic incident that led to him attacking officers, police said.

The incident occurred on Sunday, Jan. 5 during the evening hours at a home in the township.

Police were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance, and when they arrived, found that Rossi, 52, was refusing to cooperate, they said.

As officers tried to investigate the scene, Rossi became increasingly hostile and aggressive, and eventually assaulted both of the officers, authorities said.

Police immediately took him into custody and charged him with aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.

Rossi initially captured media attention back in 2015 when he wrote a letter to the principal of the school attended by his children, justifying their absence so that they could watch him run the Boston Marathon. Patch reported on the story: Abington Man's Marathon Story Explodes Across The Internet.

However, the positive news was short-lived. The online running community, centered at LetsRun.com, said that Rossi's qualifying time for Boston, a 3:11 marathon ran at Lehigh Valley, was a wild outlier and that he had cheated. No pictures of him were found on the course. Race directors for Lehigh Valley were petitioned by LetsRun to have Rossi disqualified, but they said there was insufficient evidence. Rossi went on to run 4:01 at Boston. He has never approached 3:11 or an equivalent time in any other race.

Rossi has had several brushes with the law, including a June 2016 arrest while tailgating a Kenny Chesney concert at Lincoln Financial Field, and an Aug. 2017 arrest after punching a woman following a Tim McGraw and Faith Hill concert at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Upper Gwynedd officers allegedly attacked by Rossi only sustained minor injuries and quickly recovering, the department said on Tuesday.

Rossi was arraigned on Monday, and bail was set at $25,000, which he did not post. He was booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 14.