Gregory F. Packer (born December 18, 1963), is a retired American highway maintenance worker from Huntington, New York, best known for frequently being quoted as a "man on the street" in newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts from 1995 to the present. He has been quoted in hundreds of articles and television broadcasts as a member of the public (that is, a "man on the street" rather than a newsmaker or expert). Although he always gives his real name, he has admitted to making things up to get into the paper.
Packer's status as a frequent interviewee is due to a number of factors, including seeking out members of the press and appearing friendly, although mostly it is due to his hobby of attending public appearances of celebrities and other media events and attempting to be first in line on such occasions. This has led to him being dubbed a professional line sitter. It has also led to Packer's other claim to fame: being the first person in the world to buy an iPhone, on June 29, 2007 at Apple Fifth Avenue in New York City, after having camped out for five days in front of the store. (He tried to similarly be the first to buy an iPad in 2010, but was bumped from the first position in line due to not having a reservation.) His efforts to be first in line have also allowed him to meet people including Mariah Carey, Garth Brooks, Dennis Rodman and Ringo Starr, as well as at least four presidents of the United States: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and (before he became president) Donald Trump.
Early life
Greg Packer was born to Eleanor and Sidney Packer in Huntington, NY. He is the youngest of four siblings: Aileen, Marcia and Jeffery. He attended Huntington High School, in Huntington, New York on Long Island, graduating in 1983.
Notable man on the street quotes
The first known quote of Packer ran in The Tampa Tribune on October 6, 1995, when Packer was 31:
The identification of Packer's home state as New Jersey appears to have been an error: there is no Huntington, New Jersey.
According to a 2002 article about Packer, "He was first in the line to see ground zero when the viewing platform opened at the World Trade Center site December 30, 2001. He was the first in line in 1997 to sign the condolence book at the British consulate when Princess Diana died. He slept outside in the snow in Washington, D.C. in January 2001 to be the first in line to greet President George W. Bush after his inauguration."
His quotes have ranged from the expression of common sentiments, such as "It's a day for happiness and to be together", regarding a St. Patrick's Day parade, to colorful statements such as his opinion of a New York Yankees game played on Yom Kippur: "There's no way the Yankees will lose, but if they do, they will certainly have something to atone for."
Notoriety as frequent man on the street
In June 2003, columnist Ann Coulter and blogger Mickey Kaus, commenting on media coverage of Hillary Rodham Clinton's memoir Living History, noted that Packer was "the centerpiece of The New York Times' 'man on the street' interview about Hillary-mania." Packer had been quoted in the Times as stating, "I'm a big fan of Hillary and Bill's. I want to change her mind about running for president. I want to be part of her campaign." Coulter said:
According to the Nexis database, from 1994 through 2004 Packer was quoted or photographed at least 16 separate times by the Associated Press, 14 times by Newsday, 13 times by the New York Daily News, and 12 times by the New York Post. He had also been quoted in the Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Times, as well as having appearances on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.
As a result of Coulter's column, Packer was profiled in his own right by The New York Times. The Associated Press sent out a memo to its news editors and correspondents, stating in part:
After the ubiquity of Packer's quotes became public, he was still quoted and referred to occasionally, but sometimes with more disclosure of his identity provided. When Bill Clinton began his book tour for his memoir My Life, Packer was first in line for Clinton's first signing; a 2004 New York Times article on Clinton's appearance referred to Packer as "Greg Packer, 40, wearing a New York Yankees shirt, who has been cultivating the press for several years now and manages to attend at least two news events a week."
The blog TechCrunch reported on Packer in 2010 when he was first in line to buy an iPad. This caused Nicholas Carlson of Silicon Alley Insider to refer to Packer as "the same stupid guy who's first in line for everything."