Man who rushed towards Ariana Grande at S’pore Wicked premiere ‘ruined’ fan experience, says witness

Fan at Wicked premiere witnesses moment man jumps barricade

When 20-year-old fan Raphael Sli finally arrived in Singapore on Thursday (13 Nov), he knew he was racing against the clock.

Sli had rushed to Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) for the Wicked: For Good premiere as soon as he touched down.

Although a delayed flight from Malaysia caused him to miss the fanmeet, the pharmaceutical student and content creator was still excited just to catch Ariana Grande on the yellow carpet.

“Coming here is very magical moment for me,” he told MS News.

However, minutes after he arrived, the moment he had been waiting for took an unexpected turn.

Man suddenly jumps the barricade and runs at Ariana Grande

Sli was stationed at Pen 1, right in front of Grande, when chaos unfolded.

A man — later identified as Australian national Johnson Wen — suddenly leapt over the barricade and sprinted towards the singer.

“Ariana was so scared. She looked shocked,” Sli recalled.

“He almost touched her… but the guard pulled him out.”

Sli said the man then wandered into the fan area and started dancing “like crazy”, which left him and other fans upset.

Fans were seen gesturing to Wen and shouting, “Kick him out, he jumped!”.

Sli described the man’s behaviour as “rage bait”.

Man tries to run at pop star again

The first attempt was not the end of it.

Wen, 26, made a second attempt “about 10 mins” later, Sli said.

Before the second incident, Sli told MS News that there was “no security” around Wen.

He recalled only seeing a staff member from the public relations team trying to ask the crew to remove him.

Before they could do so, Wen jumped over the fence again, running onto the Yellow Carpet.

This time, security managed to apprehend him.

Loud “boos” were heard as he was led away.

Sli described the whole episode as shocking, especially since there was no way to confirm in the chaos that the man was unarmed.

“We were about to get her signature”

For Sli, the timing could not have been more heartbreaking.

After rushing from the airport, squeezing into the fan pen, and waiting for his first ever encounter with Ariana Grande — he lost the moment within seconds.

He described his first experience meeting the pop star as “ruined”.

“I feel so sad. We were about to get her signature and just having a nice time,” he said.

“Luckily, Ariana is safe.”

Man who grabbed Ariana Grande has been charged

Though shocked by the event crasher, Sli said that he recognised Wen from other viral incidents.

“I know that guy recently went viral for [his actions at the] Katy Perry concert,” he said.

Wen, who goes by the user @pyjamamann on Instagram and TikTok, previously documented his intrusions into restricted celebrity areas on social media.

The event crasher has disrupted events including Katy Perry’s Sydney concert, The Weeknd’s Melbourne show, and even the men’s 100m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On the night of the incident (13 Nov), he posted on Instagram: “I’m free after being arrested.”

He also uploaded a TikTok video showing him grabbing Grande, captioned: “Dear Ariana Grande, thanks for letting me jump on the yellow carpet with you.”

Wen was arrested in Singapore and charged in court on 14 Nov with public nuisance.

According to CNA, he showed up via a “videolink from lock up” and told the court that he would be pleading guilty.

If convicted, he faces up to three months’ jail, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.

MS News has reached out to the Singapore Police Force for comment.

Also read: Wicked stars Ariana Grande & Cynthia Eviro to attend Asia-Pacific premiere at USS