Charged With Child Porn Possession, Married Gay Man Jumps in Front of Subway

Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 2 MIN.

One the first gay men to tie the knot on top of the Empire State Building threw himself in front of a New York City subway train on Tuesday soon after he was charged with possession of child pornography, the New York Daily News reports.

Shawn Klein was charged with possession of child pornography on Monday but was released from jail the following day, according to court documents obtained by the newspaper. Shortly after leaving jail, Klein apparently tried to take his own life by jumping in front of a subway train around 3:20 p.m.

The 52-year-old hospital administrator was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, according to police. He underwent surgery that night. Klein's sister, Eileen Blanchard, told the publication that "doctors lost him once on the table and they brought him back."

According to the Gothamist, the criminal compliant maintains that Klein "knowingly had in his possession and control a performance which included sexual conduct by a child less than sixteen years of age." According to the Manhattan district attorney's office, "the defendant's laptop computer" had the image and that he admitted to owning the computer and "admitted to downloading and possessing more than 100 videos containing child pornography."

Klein, born in North Dakota, married his longtime partner Phil Fung, 49, in February after the couple won the Empire State Building's annual Valentine's Day contest. The men met in 1993 at the legendary Manhattan nightclub the Roxy but could not get married until New York legalized gay marriage last year.

Fung told the Daily news that family members from around the country attended their "chic and elegant" ceremony. The men were one of two same-sex couples to wed on top of the iconic building.

Blanchard also told the newspaper that she was not aware of Klein's recent arrest and that Fung and a friend were keeping a vigil at the hospital.


by Jason St. Amand , National News Editor

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