Internet detectives are still hunting for the identity of **”Phillies Karen”** — the woman who went viral for demanding a father give back a home run ball he’d given to his son at Citizens Bank Park.
Two names have been floating around online as potential matches. **Cheryl Richardson-Wagner** and **Leslie-Ann Kravitz** both got swept up in the speculation, but neither turned out to be the woman from the video.
Richardson-Wagner came forward on Facebook to clear things up. She’s not “Phillies Karen” and isn’t even a Phillies fan — she roots for the **Red Sox**. As for Kravitz, rumors claimed she worked as an administrator at the Hammonton School District in New Jersey, but the school district confirmed that’s not true.
While the search continues, **Drew Feltwell** — the father at the center of this whole mess — thinks the online backlash has gotten out of hand.
“Please don’t do anything to that lady. Leave it alone. You know, somebody knows her and can talk to her, that’s different. But God, I don’t want people breaking in their house and stuff like that. The internet already messed her up pretty good.”
Feltwell shared those concerns in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports, saying he’s genuinely worried about the woman’s safety.
He’s not defending what she did. Feltwell knows she was wrong to demand the ball back from his son. But even he thinks the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.
“I could say something like she got what she deserved, but I don’t know if she deserved that much,” he said.
The reality is that once someone becomes internet famous for all the wrong reasons, the hate doesn’t just disappear. Even after “Phillies Karen’s” real identity comes out — and it probably will — those nasty messages will likely keep coming.
It’s a reminder of how quickly a moment of poor judgment at a ballpark can spiral into something much bigger and more serious than anyone involved probably expected.
