Philip Perea: Fox Producer Commits Suicide In Front Of Fox News Headquarters After Saying Company ‘Ruined My Life’
Philip Perea had posted a series of YouTube rants against his local Fox news station, calling them a bully for firing him and blaming management for covering up bad decisions. On Monday, the 41-year-old took drastic action.
Perea traveled to the Fox News corporate headquarters in New York City, handing out flyers saying that the company ended his career. Perea then pulled out a gun and shot himself to death, police said.
Perea worked at a Fox News station in Austin, Texas, until he was fired in June. He worked at the station, FOX7-KTBC for 10 months, according to a statement from Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations.
“This morning, a former employee at Fox 7-KTBC committed suicide outside Fox Television Stations’ headquarters in New York City,” Abernethy said. “He was employed at our Austin television station for ten months and has not been with the station or FTS since June 2014. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy.”
The suicide is the latest bit of bad news for Fox News, which recently got a bit of an insult from the White House. When credentials were given out for last week’s State of the Union address, reporters from Fox News were issued ones that simply said “Fox.” Other networks, including ABC News and NBC News, all had the “News” part included, and the omission raised some eyebrows among Fox News anchors.
Philip Perea had been vocal about his rift with Fox, chronicling the company’s “bad decisions” in a YouTube he called “The American Workplace Bully.”
In his final video, which included a video from meetings with his bosses before he was fired, Perea said that “2014 was the worst year of my life.” Perea also had an ominous warning for the company, saying, “It’s time for Fox News to have the worst year of its existence.”
Philip Perea also ranted against Fox News on Twitter, writing on Thursday, “Congratulations FOX, this is all the money I have left to my name, $104.” He reportedly left a suicide note at the scene, but its contents were not made public.
