Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Video: Obama Streaker May Get Screwed Out of Million Bucks
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 12, 2010
Modified Oct 15, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 12, 2010
Modified Oct 15, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Staten Island streaker who put his ass on the line to get a million dollars may end up with squat. To recap: At a Sunday rally in Philadelphia attended by President Obama, Juan James Rodriguez, 24, tore off his clothes to reveal his naked body emblazoned with a website url. (Video below.) He shouted the name of the site multiple times before security tackled him and escorted him out. The stunt was part of a promotion by the website's billionaire owner, Alki David, who has promised a million dollars to the first person to streak the president shouting the name of the site. But promises were made to be broken!
There's a catch, of course. For one thing, David had stipulated that his human ad monkey must be within earshot of Obama, and that the president must witness the sad, degrading act of desperation. But after reviewing video of the streak, David tells the Staten Island Advance, "The chap is relatively close. He’s sort of about 40 to 50 feet away from the President, but when the camera pans, you can’t see whether he’s being blocked by people or whether he could be heard." And while David the Billionaire decides whether to make this humiliated plebe's dream come true, he's having some fun at his expense, telling the Post the stunt was harmless because "a naked man would have to be pretty well-endowed to be a threat and, as we can see in the video, that was not the case here." Ha ha, he's got no money and no penis!
And here's another loophole: David says he's been made aware of a Pennsylvania law that prohibits people from profiting from a criminal act. Rodriguez is charged with indecent exposure, public lewdness and disorderly conduct; he was released yesterday on a $10,000 bond, and seen exiting the courthouse wearing scrubs provided by the police. He told reporters his sister needs an operation, but if he's convicted, the million dollars could end up going to the state of Pennsylvania. Sad trombone? On the bright side, at least he didn't tattoo the ad on his forehead, like this poor guy who fell for a radio station prank.
Tagged
alki david
battlecam
Juan James Rodriguez
naked
obama streaker
president obama
staten island
streaker
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .