What’s going on in Philly? Can’t people just enjoy a great win and chill? It all went down after Philadelphia’s excitement over the Eagles’ NFC Championship win turned to chaos on Sunday night (Jan. 26). Multiple disturbing incidents unfolded during the post-game celebrations, which were meant to mark the Eagles’ return to the Super Bowl, but were overshadowed by these frightening events.
Real quick, ICYMI, the Eagles’ dominant 55-23 victory over the Washington Commanders secured their spot in Super Bowl LIX, but the wild festivities in the city quickly took a dangerous turn.
First up, in the midst of the post-game shenanigans, a car drove into a crowd of people in Center City, injuring three pedestrians. The Philadelphia Police Department reported that the collision did not appear to be intentional, and the driver was taken into custody. Fortunately, none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries. “Everybody dancing along, next thing you know a car coming down and it spin. Like it hit 10 people,” a woman told NBC10. Another witness exclaimed in shock, “Yo, it hit the whole world! Oh my God!” A man present at the scene described the incident, saying, “There was a car, that sh*t was on the sidewalk. She was arguing with some people and it drove down into the crowd. It hit, probably like, at least 30 people.”
What’s crazy is in addition to the car crash, another frightening episode unfolded when shots were fired in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia. A video posted to social media showed a person standing in a crowd at Frankford and Cottman, raising a gun into the air, and firing three rapid shots. The crowd’s screams filled the air as the shooter ducked into the crowd. Police are now actively investigating the incident and using the video to track down the gunman.
As Philadelphia continues to grapple with the aftermath of Sunday’s celebrations, police are investigating the multiple violent incidents that occurred throughout the night, including assaults on officers.
Get this: Mayor Cherelle Parker addressed the chaos on Monday, urging citizens to remain peaceful during celebratory moments. “You don’t want to be in a celebratory moment and have a tragedy occur. You don’t want that,” she said. “Please, please don’t shoot guns in the air.”
Now the city prepares for another return to the Super Bowl. Although the game will be played in New Orleans, aka the Big Easy, the focus should be on the excitement of the game and the result–win or lose, not the dangers of violence. SMH.