4 teens in Cleveland allegedly carjack Ohio State football coach at gunpoint during recruitment visit

An Ohio State assistant football coach experienced a frightening incident on the recruiting trail earlier this week when several young people allegedly stole his vehicle at gunpoint.

On Monday afternoon, OSU tight ends coach Keenan Bailey was at the Ginn Academy in Cleveland, a recruiting hotbed that helped cultivate former OSU greats like Troy Smith and Cardale Jones.

In a school parking lot, four teens, ranging in age from 15 to 18, allegedly pointed a gun at Bailey and stole his Dodge Durango. The teens then reportedly continued their crime spree by violently confronting two women in similar fashion, though the women managed to drive away.

The four suspects were eventually apprehended in a police chase that involved a helicopter. Their names and any criminal charges assessed against them have not been publicly released.

Cleveland Councilman Mike Polensek, the chairman of the Cleveland City Council’s Public Safety Committee, indicated that the incident with Bailey occurred while school at the academy was in session, but thankfully, Bailey was not injured.

On Tuesday morning, Ohio State spokesperson Jerry Emig confirmed to local sports journalist Clay Hall that Bailey was "fine & back recruiting," and a social media post from Bailey about an hour later corroborated Emig's statement. In the social media post, Bailey shared a selfie from somewhere in a French-speaking part of Canada with a message in French that translates to "throw it all away."

Bailey, who graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2016, has been a member of the OSU football staff since shortly after graduation. He held various positions before head coach Ryan Day promoted him to tight ends coach before the start of the 2023 season.

The 2023 season was a bit of a disappointment for the Buckeyes. Though they went an impressive 11-1, they suffered another demoralizing defeat to the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor at the end of the season. The Buckeyes will face the Tigers of Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on December 29.

Violent crime in Cleveland continues to be a problem. A report from WKYC from back in July revealed that car thefts were "up a staggering 98%" from the same time in 2022.

The homicide rates are concerning as well. According to a report from Cleveland.com, by September, the number of homicides in Cleveland in 2023 had already eclipsed 110. Though still far below the 192 homicides of 2020, a number not seen in nearly 40 years, city officials are worried that violent crime may be trending in the wrong direction.

"This didn’t happen yesterday; this has been building for over a year," Councilman Polensek said.

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