The worst thing that could possibly happen to a photojournalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics would be having their photography equipment stolen. That’s what happened to News Corp. photographer Brett Costello.
Costello was ordering coffee at a cafe on Thursday when he was approached by a woman asking for help. Unfortunately for him, she was merely a distraction as two male accomplices made off with Costello’s equipment bag before he realized what was happening. He was able to record footage of the two men getting away with the equipment, which included his official photographer vest. Costello was able to get a new one so he could still perform his duties, albeit without $40,000 in equipment at his disposal.
“I’m gutted and I feel stupid that I wasn’t wise to their plan,” Costello said. “I know that I’ll probably never see my bag or gear again. And as disappointing as that is, I take solace that I wasn’t injured or hurt. It only took 10 seconds, but even that is enough to remind the thousands of tourists and media here in Rio for the games to never let down your guard.”
Friday, Costello was at Sambodromo stadium for the men’s archery team competition when he noticed a man wearing an official photographer vest that had a familiar number…the number from his stolen vest. He confronted the faker and, with the help of Olympic personnel and police, was able to detain the man. Police compared the footage Costello had taken and confirmed this was one of the two thieves from the previous day and he was promptly arrested. The other man just so happened to be found on premises as well and was arrested.
No word on whether or not Costello got his equipment back but the arrest revealed a separate disturbing issue. How were these men able to enter an Olympics venue without a credential? The vest alone shouldn’t have been enough for either of them to gain access. An Olympics official refused comment to Yahoo! Sports.
In the meantime, if you want to check out Costello’s work, he’s posting select photos to his Instragram account.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.