"I'm not gay or anything... I'm just saying."
-in response to Chris Hansen's claim that he came to the house looking for sex with a young boy.
Anthony Palumbo, screen name "Hi buddy waz sup," was one of many men to be featured in the Ocean County, New Jersey sting. He is one of the most famous potential predators in the TCaP fandom.
Biography
Anthony Palumbo was 46 years old at the time of his To Catch a Predator appearance. He chatted at length with a boy he thought was fourteen years old to make plans to meet for sex, using the name "Chris" to hide his true identity. Many times during the chat, Palumbo got impatient and typed in all caps to get certain points across. Palumbo also became frustrated that the boy wasn't sexually experienced and demanded to be the one to penetrate the boy saying "I WANNA BE TOP". He was also insistent on unprotected sex, asking the boy, "U WANT DO IT RAW?" and answering "NO RUBER" when the boy questioned what he meant by that. Being worried about how to lubricate for sex, Palumbo says he will use soap. Palumbo starts to renege on going because the boy lives too far away, but after receiving impeccable directions, decides to make the hour and a half journey to the sting house. [1]
Palumbo shows up at the house, bringing along alcohol that he commands the decoy to put in the refrigerator several times, as well as complimenting him on the directions he gave. Once confronted by Chris Hansen, he explains that he was simply "stopping by" the house to say hello to the decoy because he told his “otha brotha” he was on his way to Atlantic City (or "Lantic City" as he calls it). He also claims that he stopped by because it was dark and he wasn't a "driver at night". He kept shouting at the boy to ”put the beer in the fridge”.
When confronted with his chat log, he told Chris that he had just been "foolin around" and "jus jokin". Chris also pressed him about his real age, to which he responded he was 39. However, he said he was 35 in the chat. Both ages were evidently a lie. In order to throw Chris off his trail, Anthony told him that he wasn't gay or anything, continuing to do so even after Chris assured him that nobody cares what adults do and that the problem was that he involved a fourteen year old boy.
As a result of the investigation, he was convicted on one charge of criminal attempt in addition to being sentenced to a lifetime of parole supervision and registration as a sex offender.
Behind the scenes/Trivia
- Palumbo never caught on in the chat that the directions the decoy was giving him were a little too detailed for a fourteen year old boy that cannot drive to give, as he gave details of landmarks and road markers and indications of when he would know he drove too far in one direction.
- Two years before his appearance on Dateline, Palumbo's father had a violent outburst against his family over stocks totaling approximately $1 million. It would involve him brandishing a pitchfork at his wife and breaking her nose when he swung a dinner tray at her. He also dumped boiling soup on Anthony's head, causing the both of them to be taken to the hospital.
- According to Chris Hansen on his “Predators I’ve Caught” podcast, Palumbo was arrested again in 2019 for a hit and run and spent 45 days in Riker’s Island Prison.
Notable quotes
- "I'm not gay or anything...I'm just sayin”
- "You give good directions!"
- "Oh, I wouldn't wanna be umm...oh boy..." (after the cameras come out)
- [Chris] "How old are you?" [Palumbo] "Thirtyyyyy...nine." [Chris] "Thirty-nine. You said you were thirty-five online." [Palumbo] "Thiry-five, thirty-NINE."
- "Put da beeah into da refrijiraita"
- "No, my brotha is home, my otha' brotha and I said I had'ta go to Lantic City”
- “Nah I just stahpped by!”
- "I'm not a drivah at dark- at night time."
- (from chatlog) "I WANNA BE TOP" "oh ok" "U WANT DO IT RAW?“ “raw?” “YES” "whats that?" “NO RUBER"
- (from chatlog) “U BETTER NOT BE PLAYING FUCKING GAMES”
- "Don't get drunk with dat" (after handing the beeah to the decoy)
- "Jus jokin" *hand spasm*
- "I was going to Lantic City."
- "I'm not a drivah at night."
- "No you're right, no you're right- It's stupid of me. No, yeah I know I did a stupid thing."
- "Did I axe that, I don't remembah tho-"
- “Not at all, not at all. You can even smell my breath, not at all.”
- "My excuse to come heeah, I went to Lantic City."
Links
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=denelzG4xJY (TCaP segment)
