Reports say multiple Eagles fans are injured after a glass bus stop they were climbing quickly collapsed under their weight. This happened after the Philadelphia mayor begged citizens to celebrate the NFC title win ‘joyously, safely, and respectfully’.
I guess they were too happy to ensure their own safety.
According to the Daily Mail;
Despite warnings by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney to celebrate ‘joyously, safely, and respectfully,’ several Eagles fans were seen collapsing through a glass bus stop canopy in the hours following Sunday’s NFC Championship victory. Later, police in riot gear were seen dispersing fans in the streets.
PhillyCrimeUpdate.com is reporting that there are ‘multiple injuries’ stemming from the bus stop incident, which took place at a SEPTA bus stop on South Broad Street near City Hall.
Footage shows nearly a dozen Eagles fans standing atop the glass structure, which shatters, dropping everyone to the crowded street below. The video does not show the aftermath of the incident.
The scene was similar to the one that took place in Philadelphia five years earlier, when the Eagles upset the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl for their first Lombardi Trophy. Afterwards, several Eagles fans began celebrating atop a fabric awning at the Ritz Carlton until the unit collapsed under the group’s weight.
As was the case five years earlier, police greased light poles to deter fans from climbing above the gathering crowds. But, once again, Eagles supporters still managed to hoist themselves up on street signs and crosswalk signals.
The crowd was largely peaceful, according to reports, but some overexuberant fans continued to put themselves and others at risk by trying to climb atop parked cars and various city structures.
Kenney and the city police did their best to contain the raucous crowd, which stretched from Lincoln Financial Field on the south side to the midtown area surrounding City Hall.
‘As a lifelong Philadelphian and the Mayor of this great city I am thrilled to see fans of all ages and from every neighborhood celebrating side by side, full of pride and excitement,’ Kenney said in a statement. ‘This is a wonderful night and I ask Philadelphians to celebrate joyously, safely, and respectfully.’
Despite the request, fans continued to pour out onto Market and Broad streets, climbing greased light poles and parked cars.
Ultimately police in riot gear were brought in to disperse crowds. There were also reports that the officers were using a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) that emits a loud noise in an effort to quell the celebration.
‘Police are now using [LRAD] Trying to disperse the crowds this is taking place in City Hall Philadelphia,’ reported the Raws Alert Twitter account. ‘Things are starting to get intense.’
Flip to the next page for the footage of the accident…
