The Crutches Weren\'t Really Run Over

By ERIC P. NEWCOMER and ANDY NEWMAN

When last seen by about 212,000 viewers on Youtube (228,000 counting the light-saber version), the man in the brown shirt was engaged in a knock-down, drag-out crutch fight with another man in broad daylight in Times Square.

On Wednesday morning, we spotted him sitting on a box in front of The New York Times Building on West 40th Street.

He was trying to raise money for some new crutches.

“Need your help please because my crutches got run over,” he had written on his sign, neglecting to mention that both crutches had flown apart when he and his opponent swung them at each other like Roman gladiators, “so I need fare for bus and subway to see the doctor for the pain and another crutch.”

The man, described by several Times Square regulars as homeless, declined to give his name or to talk about the fight, other than to point out that such things happen.

“People do it every day,” he said. “It's no big deal.”

The man accepted a cup of coffee â€" make that a mocha, he said â€" and $5 from a reporter. But he wanted considerably more money before he would tell his story.

“YouTube is making thousands of dollars over the incident and I ain't making a dime,” he said.

A passer-by offered the man a sandwich. He accepted that, too, and between bites offered some justification for lifting a crutch in self-defense.

“Who's going to protect me?” he asked. “I'm a nobody.”