Pro-Oz PAC Releases Ad Attacking Fetterman for Pulling a Gun on Unarmed Black Jogger

Hearing what he said sounded like gunfire and seeing a man running away, John Fetterman hustled his child inside and called 911.

What Fetterman did next on that day nine years ago could significantly impact his chances of defeating Republican candidate Mehmet Oz to replace retiring Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in November’s general election. It is the subject of a television advertisement recently released by a pro-Oz Republican super PAC.

With a shotgun in hand, Fetterman chased the man and detained him until police arrived. The police report indicated that the jogger was wearing running clothes and was unarmed. The sound of gunfire was fireworks. Two witnesses did say they thought they heard shots.

The jogger was black, though Fetterman told police he had no idea of the man’s race because of how he was dressed in the cold weather.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in Lemont Furnace, Pa., on May 10, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

At the time, he was mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, a working-class borough of 1,721 in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. Now 53, Fetterman has served as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor since 2019.

The 30-second TV spot, intended for black voters in the Philadelphia media market, is titled “Chase” and was written and funded by American Leadership Action PAC.

The $500,000 media buy is scheduled to run over the next three weeks on outlets such as BET, Fox News, OWN, CNN, ESPN, MSNBC, TBS and the USA Network, among others.

In the opening of the ad, news clips of the 2013 event accompany a voice-over that says, “As mayor of Braddock, John Fetterman chased down an innocent, unarmed black man. Fetterman falsely accused the man, triggering a confrontation with police.”

The ad then moves to an interview with the jogger, Cristopher Miyares, who details

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