Former Actor Attacked for Wearing COVID Mask Left Permanently Blind

Former actor Will Keenan was reportedly attacked recently for wearing a COVID-19 face mask, which left him permanently blind in one eye.

The incident comes as mask mandates have come under scrutiny around the United States, with many opposing mandates amid an increase in COVID-19 cases. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from August 20 to August 26 there was a 15.7 increase in hospitalizations compared with the week before.

Keenan, who played Romeo in the 1996 film Tromeo and Juliet, spoke with Newsweek on Monday afternoon to detail the incident and explained that he currently works with the nonprofit St. Babs Church of All Religions in Jersey Cape, New Jersey. He said the attack happened on August 27 at a townhouse in Jersey Cape.

According to Keenan, he would regularly pick up his acquaintance at a small townhouse when he encountered a man who had previously commented on his mask wearing. "For the entirety of the pandemic, I became known as the lone masker. I wore a mask all the time because through my research I believe doing so protects my infant, now toddler, daughter, Awen Metta Keenan," he told Newsweek.

While inside the townhouse, Keenan was seated at a dining room table when suddenly he noticed something around his neck.

"At first I thought it was a joke but it kept getting tighter and yanked me off the chair," he said, who added that he eventually was able to fight back and remove a rope from his neck. Keenan said he later realized it was a "nylon rope" when he jumped up and asked the perpetrator what was going on.

"He screamed at me and said, 'I told you never to wear a mask in this house,' and I replied immediately back, even louder, 'What the f*** are you talking about? I've been here five or six times with a mask every time, you've never even seen my face,'" Keenan told Newsweek.

Keenan and the perpetrator continued yelling at each other inside the townhouse and outside until they were broken up by others who witnessed the incident.

A few days later, Keenan told Newsweek, he began to notice vision in his left eye becoming fuzzy, and eventually vision in his eye went fully dark. After going to a doctor, Keenan learned that he had a detached retina, which doctors determined was because of the strangulation.

Keenan said that he was approached by local authorities a few days after the incident and that it's under investigation. He added that possible charges against the man could include "attempted murder by strangulation."

Keenan eventually underwent surgery at a hospital in Philadelphia but was told that he may never regain vision in his left eye.

Newsweek recently reported on the different areas across the U.S. that have imposed mask mandates or have encouraged mask wearing, including some schools and hospitals. However, several Republican governors have taken stances against the return of mask mandates, such as South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

"I can assure the people of South Carolina that we are not going to have mandates requiring masks, we're not going to close down schools, we're not going to do a lot of the foolish things that were done in other states," he said last Thursday.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page was recently created to help Keenan, which has already surpassed its goal of $10,000, pay for his medical bills. The page was created by Debbie Rochon.

While speaking to Newsweek, Keenan expressed his thanks to those who reached out and to those who donated.

"The outpouring of support from hundreds of people on both sides of the mask issue has been encouraging thus far. I've even been contacted by virulent anti-maskers and COVID-deniers who say they are appalled by what happened to me," he said.

Update 9/12/23, 9:25 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.