'Boardwalk Empire' Star Michael Pitt Hospitalized After Public Outburst
Actor Michael Pitt was arrested and taken to a hospital after an emotional outburst. Best known for his role on Boardwalk Empire, Pitt broke down on a Brooklyn street on Sept. 9 and started throwing objects, prompting passersby to call the police. In a video obtained by TMZ, Pitt is seen strapped to a gurney as EMS technicians wheel him down a sidewalk in Bushwick, Brooklyn, likely to an ambulance. As he lies on the stretcher, Pitt appears in a daze, staring at the sky and then turning his head to the side.
A concerned onlooker reportedly called 911 to report that a male was possibly throwing objects at people from a rooftop. After quickly responding to the scene, cops arrested Pitt, but he was not charged with a crime due to his emotional instability, TMZ reported. Afterward, he was transported to a local hospital.The outlet said the incident is being treated as a mental health issue, resulting in his possible hospitalization. Pitt's current status is unknown. An involuntary psych hold can last just 72 hours in New York unless the hospital petitions a judge to keep them longer, and then the patient can stay for up to 60 days.
The actor has had trouble with the law before. According to TMZ, he was arrested for assault and petty theft in Bushwick in July. Pitt allegedly punched a man in the head repeatedly to take his cell phone. The man only had minor injuries, the site reported, and the actor was arrested.
As a child, Pitt attended a Catholic high school before being sent to a detention center and a youth home. At the age of 16, the actor dropped out of school permanently. In 1999, he was cast in a recurring role as Henry Parker in Dawson's Creek until 2000. He then played the role of trans rock star Hedwig in the 2001 cult classic movie Hedwig And The Angry Inch, an adaptation of the 1998 stage musical by John Cameron Mitchell.
Pitt later starred as Jimmy Darmody in Martin Scorsese, and Mark Wahlberg's hit series Boardwalk Empire from 2010 to 2011. His last role was in the Apple TV+ miniseries Lisey's Story in 2021, where he played Andrew Landon for five episodes. Deadline reported that Pitt was cast opposite Sean Penn in Black Flies in May. This spring, filming took place for the movie based on the Shannon Burke novel of the same name about paramedics.