Nearly 20 years ago, football star turned murder suspect O.J. Simpson lead police on a wild chase through Orange County, Calif., in a white Ford Bronco. This time, the celebrity is driving a Toyota Prius, and unlike Simpson, he’s never (allegedly) killed anyone. Until today, no one knew what he looked like. He’s a 64-year-old man credited with inventing Bitcoin, a difficult-to-trace digital currency.
Meet Satoshi Nakamoto, the Internet era’s O.J. Simpson.
Nakamoto led reporters on a chase through Los Angeles Thursday afternoon after swarms of reporters descended on his home in Temple City. It follows an expose in Newsweek claiming he is the figure mythologized as the shadowy creator of Bitcoin.
Reporters from BuzzFeed, the Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, and MSNBC parked themselves outside his home, eager to interview Nakamoto.
Outside of #Nakamoto‘s house (credit: @byandreachang pic.twitter.com/rLVHIbqNft
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
Satoshi Nakamoto looks a bit puzzled by his doorsteping… Pic David McNew/Reuters #bitcoinchase pic.twitter.com/w89z50tuff
— Jules Mattsson (@julesmattsson) March 6, 2014
In one Instagram video posted by Buzzfeed’s Hunter Schwartz, Nakamoto can be seen opening his front door and vehemently denying any involvement with Bitcoin.
“No questions right now,” Nakamoto says. “I’m not involved in Bitcoin.”
Then he turns to an Associated Press reporter and says, “I want a free lunch, so I’m going with you.”
Reporters trailed him to a sushi place. The Times’s Joe Bel Bruno livetweeted the “chase.”
We are two cars behind #Nakamoto, and it looks like the @ap reporter is doing all the talking. #Bitcoin
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
We think #Nakamoto might be heading toward downtown LA. Great American #Bitcoin Chase
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
So the @ap reporter just took #Nakamoto into the @AP bureau. SMART REPORTER!
— Joe Bel Bruno (@JoeBelBruno) March 6, 2014
As of 4:45pm ET, Nakomoto is at Associated Press offices conducting an interview.
If there was a car chase, no footage has emerged. In the meantime, here’s a GIF of how we think it went down:
Photo by Grace Wong/Flickr (CC By 2.0) | Remix by Jason Reed
