A reporter in Maine claimed that a man attempted to run him over, but the incident left local viewers divided over whether they believed his account of what happened.
A video shared by The Maine Wire showed its reporter, Joe Sokol, covering a story outside a clinic. Text over the video described the incident as an “Attempted Murder Against a Reporter.” The publication also referred to the man involved as a “lunatic” and said it would take all necessary action in response to the incident.
The video showed Sokol holding a microphone and standing in front of a camera when the man stopped beside him in his car. He asked Sokol if he was doing good before accusing him of “invading people’s privacy.” Sokol then asked the driver whether recording with a camera and reporting a story amounted to invading people’s privacy. The man replied that Sokol was doing exactly that.
“What’s up buddy? Come on,” the driver said, prompting Sokol to respond, “What can I do for you?” The man then simply shook his head before driving away. As Sokol continued with his report, he claimed that he believed the man was intoxicated.
The situation escalated when Sokol looked to the side and saw the man accelerating toward him. Sokol managed to move out of the way, but the car struck his camera. The reporter then repeatedly said the man’s license plate number so he would not forget it.
The video also included security camera footage showing the man in his vehicle as he drove toward the reporter. Some viewers online believed the footage suggested that the incident was deliberate. The video’s end included Sokol confronting an official at the clinic where he was reporting.
“Your patient just tried to run me over,” Sokol told the female official. “Are you trying to intimidate me?” she asked in response. She then demanded that the reporter leave the property. The video ended with Sokol warning her that if she touched him, she would face assault charges.
The Maine Wire later shared an alleged phone call with the man involved in the incident. During the call, he acknowledged that he had “supposedly” tried to run over the reporter. He also said that he was a patient at the clinic where Sokol was reporting. “He has no right doing that,” the man said in response to Sokol’s reporting.
“Here’s our phone call with the suspect, who admits to targeting Joe because of the content of his reporting,” The Maine Wire wrote in the caption. However, the allegations have not been independently confirmed, and it remains unclear whether police have become involved in the incident.
Viewers Divided Over Maine Reporter’s Video
After seeing the controversial video, viewers were divided over whether the Maine reporter had actually been targeted and nearly run over. Some questioned the account presented in the video and wanted more context about what happened. “What was the whole story?” one person asked. Another viewer said, “Why did the woman get mad at you? We need more context lol. Not because you did anything wrong, we just have questions.”
On the other hand, many viewers believed that the man did attempt to run over the reporter and described the situation as shocking. “People are losing their minds!” one person wrote. Another person said, “Really smart immediately saying out loud the plate number what is going on in Maine ? these people all seemed crazy except for the poor reporter and cameraman.”
The video also highlighted the potential challenges journalists and reporters can face while carrying out their work. At the same time, the divided reactions showed why viewers may want to understand the full context of an incident before making serious accusations about what happened.
