Taylor Swift’s dad, Scott Swift, is currently enveloped in an Australian investigation pertaining to an alleged assault involving a paparazzi photographer.
According to TheAustralian.com, the incident occurred Tuesday around 2:30 a.m. at the Neutral Bay Wharf as Taylor and Scott were disembarking from a ferry and bombarded by people waiting for them. The father and daughter were reportedly returning from celebrations at the end of the Sydney leg of her Eras Tour, which followed a previous Australian stop in Melbourne.
In a statement, the New South Wales Police Media Unit tells ET, “Police are investigating an alleged assault on Sydney’s North Shore this morning. Police have been told a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am (Tuesday 27 February 2024), before leaving the location. The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command.”
While police did not confirm the identities of those involved, the outlet that first reported the incident named Swift as the 71-year-old and photographer Ben McDonald as the 51-year-old. McDonald spoke with NCA Newswire and alleged that Scott became aggressive with him as they neared the group of paparazzi waiting.
“As she got closer, the security shoved his umbrella in my face and camera, then as she got in the car her dad decides to charge me and punch me in the chops” McDonald alleged, adding that he called the police to report the incident but did not require medical services.
A spokesperson for the singer tells 360aproko, “Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”
In his interview with NewsWire, McDonald said that he only realized that the alleged assailant happened to be Taylor’s dad — who was seen during her Sydney Eras Tour shows, including in one video with Rebel Wilson — until after the fact.
“I looked back at the pictures and saw he was holding hands with Taylor. It then became evident that was her father,” the paparazzi photographer told the outlet, claiming he has a “bruised ego more than anything.”
McDonald also shared footage with the outlet which appears to show Taylor — covered underneath an umbrella — and Scott walking up a dock ramp before another umbrella cuts off the camera angle and two voices are heard telling each other to not touch the other person’s umbrella.
The video ends with another voice saying “wasn’t me,” which the photographer claims was one Taylor’s security guards, seemingly releasing himself of responsibility for the incident.
Another video shared with 9News Sydney shows a different angle of the incident. In that clip, Scott, Taylor and several security guards can be seen walking toward the singer’s waiting vehicle before one security team member appears to hold back a photographer — purportedly McDonald. The alleged assault the photographer reported involving Scott is not shown clearly in the video.
The matter remains under investigation with Australian authorities at this time.
