Mayor Parker discourages pole-climbing and stresses safety ahead of potential Super Bowl celebrations
An 18-year-old Temple University student was hospitalized and later died after falling from a pole in Center City after the Eagles’ NFC championship win.
Philadelphia’s top officials have a simple message for the city ahead of Super Bowl Sunday — celebrate the Eagles, but do so responsibly.
“We want Sunday to be a joyous moment for Philadelphia,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said during a news conference Thursday. “But let’s vow to do so in a safe, respectful, and responsible way.”
The Eagles’ showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs begins at 6:30 p.m., and should — ahem, when — the Eagles win, fans will pour into Center City, the intersection of Cottman and Frankford Avenues, and other public areas in droves.
But having thousands of fans descend upon the city after nightfall puts major strain on the city’s police, fire, and emergency management departments, officials say.
After the Eagles’ walloping of the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game on Jan. 26, police arrested a man for shooting a fellow reveler, and eight people were injured when a woman drove her SUV through a crowd, among other incidents.
And the evening ended in tragedy when an 18-year-old Temple University student was hospitalized and later died after falling from a pole in Center City.
Parker urged Philadelphians to celebrate safely Sunday by drinking responsibly and being respectful of other fans in packed crowds; above all, she urged fans not to climb poles.
“Climbing or attempting to climb up a light pole or a bus shelter, it can lead to tragedy,” Parker said. “We don’t want anything to happen to you, or your friends or family members. We want Sunday to be a joyous moment for Philadelphia.”
Parker would not say whether the city planned to grease poles in an effort to thwart climbers, as it has done in past celebrations.
The mayor was joined by Police Chief Kevin Bethel, who said the police department would increase its staffing Sunday from the levels it maintained during the NFC championship game, and that state police would be on standby for additional assistance in addition to support from drones and helicopters.
And similar to the NFC championship celebration, police will block off roads in Center City up to Spring Garden Street that evening, as well as streets around Cottman and Frankford Avenues.
» READ MORE: Road closures, parking restrictions, and SEPTA guidance for Sunday in Philly
Both Bethel and Dominick Mireles, director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, joined Parker in urging revelers to avoid pole-climbing.
“A fall from a height of six feet can result in serious or permanent disability or death, and the risk increases exponentially at 10 feet,” Mireles said. “The poles are significantly higher than that.”
Officials had a range of other safety suggestions for those celebrating what will hopefully be an Eagles victory, saying fans should refrain from lighting off fireworks and keep cars out of crowded areas.
“Those explosives can blind, they can blow off fingers, and they can kill,” Mireles said.
Bethel offered an additional reminder that anyone who fires celebratory gunfire into the air is significantly risking the lives of those around them, and faces arrest.
According to the police chief, one person is wanted for arrest for engaging in such a stunt after the Jan. 26 game.
“Because of staffing we didn’t go in [to the crowd],” Bethel said. “We will be going in, with the staffing levels we will have on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, as high-profile figures including President Donald Trump and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro prepare to watch the big game in New Orleans on Sunday, Parker confirmed to reporters that she would be staying put in the City of Brotherly Love to cheer on the Birds.
“We are the best sports fans in the world,” Parker said. “We just want to make sure we do everything decently, and in order.”