A New Jersey man used the "It's cool, I'm a journalist" defense after a pharmacy refused to give him oxycodone. Philly.com reports that 28-year-old Brandon Rivera allegedly entered a Wallgreens in Little Egg Harbor last week and gave the pharmacist a note demanding the pain medication. When it became apparent that this was a poor method of obtaining synthetic opioids, police say Rivera "told employees he was a reporter researching a story and left the store." Who does he think he is, Hamilton Morris?
Had Rivera appeared more disheveled, been tweeting incessantly, loudly complained to no one in particular about how a local politician won't answer off-topic questions during a "press avail," or generally acted like more of a snide, sanctimonious asshole as he attempted to obtain the pills, he might have presented a more credible front. Or he could have said he was a blogger who needed to make a quick copy of the pills so he could paste them somewhere else.
Walgreens employees gave Rivera's license plate number to police, and he was arrested at his home. Rivera has previous arrests for drug possession. CNN is hiring.
