News

Cops Arrest Eagles Fans for Assaults on Police and Vandalizing City Property

Plus: The mayor of Upper Darby is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.

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chopper 6 captures images of some of the mayhem that unfolded among Eagles fans, some of whom were arrested

Chopper 6 captures some of the post-game mayhem unfolding among Eagles fans, some of whom were arrested in various sections of the city (Image courtesy 6ABC)

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Cops Arrest Eagles Fans for Assaults on Police, Vandalism in Wake of Eagles Win

As my colleague Laura Swartz dutifully documented on Monday, Philly was in full-blown celebration mode after the Eagles trampled the 49ers at the Linc on Sunday night, sending our boys to the Super Bowl. But some of those Eagles celebrations went south, resulting in large fights and damaged property.

Still, given the sheer quantity of people involved and the potential for a Budweiser-fueled Purge-like Eagles post-game scenario, The city managed to avoid widespread damage and ended up making relatively few arrests.

According to the Philadelphia Police Department’s most updated numbers, police made a total of eleven arrests associated with the game. Six people were arrested near the Linc for illegal alcohol sales. Elsewhere in the city during the post-game celebration, police arrested one person for illegal possession of a firearm, two for assaulting police, and two for damaging city property. No, Sean Hagan, the guy arrested after he climbed the pole on Broad Street following the Phillies’ NLCS win (and who later got off on all charges with the help of Chuck Peruto) was not among them, though Hagan did promise me he’d be out enjoying the Eagles festivities.

Police also handed out some code violation notices, essentially tickets for bad behavior: five for disorderly conduct and one related to alcoholic beverages.

And look: Tales of our misadventures made it all the way to TMZ.

Maybe Fox News should stick an anchor booth right outside City Hall for a live broadcast after the Super Bowl. What could possibly go wrong?

Speaking of Bad Behavior

The mayor of Upper Darby has been having a really bad week.

On January 26th, police in Upper Chichester stopped Barbarann Keffer as she was driving her vehicle on Route 322. According to police, Keffer was driving erratically and also had what appeared to be new damage to her bumper and one of her tires. The cop who pulled her over said he smelled alcohol on her breath, and Keffer promptly refused to comply with any sobriety tests. She also reportedly refused to be fingerprinted. (Didn’t know you could do that!)

Initially, Keffer released a statement saying simply that she had been involved in a “traffic incident.” But as questions continued to be raised and media attention continued to build, Keffer issued the following statement yesterday:

On Thursday, January 26, 2023 I was involved in a traffic incident. I have been cooperating fully with local authorities in Upper Chichester. As Mayor of Upper Darby, I realize that I am held to a higher standard and I am prepared to face the consequences of my actions. I will be forever grateful that no one was physically harmed in this incident. I apologize to my family, my staff, and my constituents for this severe error in judgment. I realize that this may be hard for some to forgive but I ask that you look at my 9+ years of public service and not just this one terrible decision.

I am seeking professional treatment for alcohol addiction. An estimated 15 million people struggle with an alcohol use disorder in the United States, but less than 10% of them receive treatment. I hope there are others who can learn from my experience and seek the help they need.

I want to do well by the community and see Upper Darby grow and prosper. I want our community to be safer, cleaner, and full of opportunity. It’s why I ran for office, and why I am committed to getting the help I need to do just that. I am proud of my accomplishments over the last three years but must also acknowledge the stress of the constant personal attacks from those who do not share my vision for Upper Darby. My treatment plan includes finding healthy ways to handle these stressors so that I can continue to fulfill my promise to reform, reinvest, and revitalize Upper Darby. I want to thank those who have reached out to express their support and understanding during this difficult time.

My Acting Co-Chief Administrative Officers, Alison Dobbins and Rita LaRue, continue to oversee day to day operations of the government. I have full confidence that they will ensure the smooth operation of Upper Darby Township.

Just to give you a bit of context here, Keffer is a Democrat who was once endorsed by Barack Obama for a state seat, an election she lost.

Barbarann Keffer with barack obama

Barbarann Keffer (before she was mayor of Upper Darby) with Barack Obama (photo via Barbarann Keffer campaign)

But in 2019, she defeated Upper Darby’s longtime Republican mayor by less than 1,000 votes. He had been mayor since 2009 and made a lot of friends. And it’s fair to say that there are a lot of people in Upper Darby who are just gleeful over this incident.

Keffer has been charged with first-offense DUI (a misdemeanor) and three minor summary offenses. Her next court date is March 1st. No word on how this might affect her political future. But given that we’ve got a guy in Congress whose life is pretty much a complete fabrication (well, and the fact that lots of people get DUIs, and this is Keffer’s first), I think she’ll be OK.

Sheryl Lee Ralph Stuns in Sparkly Cocktail Dress

I never knew that the AARP gave out its own awards for movies and TV. But it turns out that they do. And Sheryl Lee Ralph just picked up yet another award for her work in Abbott Elementary. And everybody is talking about her sparkly cocktail dress:

a photo of sheryl lee ralph at the AARP awards

Sheryl Lee Ralph at the AARP awards on January 28th (photo via Getty)

I’m pretty sure she’s having more fun than most 66-year-olds out there.

Political Movements

The dizzying list of candidates for City Council continues to grow. Make it stop!

Be Careful Out There, Bicyclists

It’s only January 31st, and three bicyclists have already been killed in Philly.

The End of the Road for Matt Swartz

Disgraced former Philly restaurateur Matt Swartz has finally learned his fate after he screwed over employees and the IRS — well, and after he didn’t show up for his original sentencing hearing, forcing the Department of Justice to extradite him from West Virginia. A federal judge just gave Swartz 15 months in prison. And he has to pay more than $400,000 in restitution.

Want to Go to the Super Bowl?

Nydia Han reminds Eagles fans to watch out for scams.

And from the Oh-Bloody-Hell Sports Desk …

The Sixers, on a seven-game win streak, hosted the Magic at the Wells Fargo Center last night. Starters: James Harden, Joel Embiid, P.J. Tucker, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton. Ooh, look who’s back in town:

The Magic couldn’t buy a basket. With five minutes left in the first, the score was 21-4. At the quarter?

And it didn’t get better for Orlando.

In games like this, one starts wandering the internets, which is what I was doing when I came across this, which is, okay, just weird.

Back to the Sixers! And the Magic were on a nine-straight-shots streak to cut the lead to 11. Boo!

Some steals, some mess, and suddenly it was a seven-point game.

And three points … and two points … and one point …

Uh. We’re losing.

Oh dear.

Mo Wagner is insufferable, BTW. He skips on the court. He skips.

All Philly Today Sports Desk coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.

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