Maine family says man intentionally coughed on them for not wearing masks

TREMONT, Maine. — A family in Maine says a stranger, who may be from Massachusetts, intentionally coughed on them for not wearing masks while they were socially distancing during a quaint wedding at Acadia National Park.

"I just kind of saw out of the corner of my eye, someone come up from behind me," Brian Saucier told Boston 25 News.

He was waiting for his mother at the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse Saturday. His wife, baby son, sister and brother-in-law were with him.

“It was this young guy,” Saucier said. “He had his mask pulled down and he was looking right at me and he coughed on me. It kind of caught me off guard. I looked at my wife and said, ‘Did he just intentionally cough on us and walk away?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’”

Saucier believes the man was in his early 20s. Saucier said he and his brother-in-law followed the man, who was with five or six family members, to the parking lot. He said the family got into a minivan with Massachusetts license plates.

"[The man's] mother kept screaming at us that she was a nurse, that we were all stupid and going to die," Saucier recalled.

He said he and his brother-in-law blocked the minivan from leaving and called police. Fearing the situation would escalate, he let the family leave before police arrived.

“We were socially distancing in our own group” Saucier said. “It was my direct family we were with. People believe if they see someone not wearing a mask, that they’re automatically against it and that’s just not the case. I just think it’s situational.”

Saucier called his doctor, who advised he get tested for COVID-19.

“He recommended I get tested before I go back to work,” Saucier said. “I think it would just be inconsiderate of me in this situation, not knowing if they had come from out of state without actually being tested and meeting the certain requirements to come. You just never know. It’s peace of mind for us and a little bit of consideration for my coworkers.”

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Saucier said he got tested on Monday and is now out of work for the next couple of days while he awaits the results.

The groom was also coughed on. He works in health care and his employer made him get tested for COVID-19 as well. He’s also out of work until his test results come back.

“Their actions had a ripple effect,” Saucier said. “That small action of them trying to prove a point, it had bigger consequences.”

Saucier said he’s also concerned about his son Grayson. “It’s not just about me, it’s about my son who’s 13 weeks old and he doesn’t have the same immunity that we do.”

With the face mask debate leading to heated confrontations nationwide, Saucier said he wants to see the man who coughed on him face consequences.

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“If we don’t have something happen to them, then it’s just going to keep happening to others,” Saucier said.

Christie Anastasia, a public affairs specialist for Acadia National Park, told Boston 25 News the National Park Service takes this incident very seriously. She confirmed park rangers are actively investigating.

Cox Media Group