Crime & Safety

Report: Paul Simon-Edie Brickell Fight Involved Minor Push

The couple was arrested after police received a 911 hang up call.

Update at 7:18 p.m.

Paul Simon and Edie Brickell appeared in state Superior Court in Norwalk on Monday after each was charged with disorderly conduct on Saturday night.

According to the NBC Connecticut website, the couple's lawyer, Allan Cramer, the violence involved was a minor push. New Canaan police said a minor injury was involved, and it didn't need medical attention.

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Cramer said Brickell's mother called police, according to NBC. New Canaan police said the initial call was a "hangup call" in which nothing was said, and three or four police officers went to the location not knowing why the call had been made.

The three to four arriving officers determined that "there was physical violence" and enough evidence to charge the famous couple with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, according to Chief of Police Leon Krolikowski. He declined to state where the incident took place; including whether it took place at their home in New Canaan.

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There were "relatively minor injuries," but not to the extent that required medical attention, he added.

"They're very nice people, low profile and very private," Krolikowski said. "We are trying to respect their privacy, but we have a job to do."

Simon, a native of Newark, NJ, and Brickell, who has earned fame for her folk singing talents, were married in 1992. They have three children together and have lived in New Canaan since about 2008, according to Wikipedia.

"Frankly," Krolikowski said, "they're both victims."

The alleged incident, around 8 p.m. on April 26, is part of what Krolikowski pointed to as an increase in family disputes in this affluent town in Fairfield County, CT.

He said reports of family disputes are up 68 percent so far this year, compared to the same period last year. Specifically, Krolikowski said, there have been 32 reports so far in 2014, whereas there were 19 in the first five months of 2013.  

Update at 11:15 a.m.

New Canaan Police say the charges against Paul Simon and his wife, Edie Brickell, stem from a family dispute that took place Saturday night in town.

In a report just released, police say the couple was arrested at 8:20 p.m. on April 26. They were both charged with disorderly conduct.

"Investigating officers gathered information and found probable cause," to arrest Simon, 72, and Brickell, 47, police said.

Police did not disclose the street name or address of the famous couple.

Both Simon and Brickell were release on a promise to appear in Norwalk Superior Court on April 28.

Our original report follows

New Canaan Police arrested Grammy award-winning singer Paul Simon over the weekend on a domestic violence charge.

According to The Hour of Norwalk, the 72-year-old Simon and his wife were arrested following an alleged incident at their New Canaan home.

New Canaan Police are expected to release more details on the arrest at a briefing later Monday morning.

Patch will update this story as more details become available.

— Patch Editors David Gurliacci and Gary Jeanfaivre contributed to this report.



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