Days before the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, Philadelphia’s mayor sought to dissuade celebrating fans from climbing light poles or onto other equipment.
The ask by Mayor Cherelle Parker on Thursday comes more than a week after an 18-year Temple University student fell from a light pole after the Eagles won the NFC championship and later died.
“Please, Philadelphia, I implore you as your mayor: Do not climb light poles or anything else,” Parker said at a news conference about celebration preparations.
“I know this comes up every time we have an outdoor celebration after our Philly teams win, and I get it,” she said. “But folks, climbing or attempting to climb up a light pole, or a bus shelter, or really any structure for that matter — it can lead to tragedy.”
The Temple University student, Tyler Sabapathy, died on Jan. 28, two days after he fell from a pole while celebrating the Eagles' NFC Championship victory that earned the team a spot at the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel encouraged fans to be responsible, and said the police department “will have all hands on deck on Sunday.”
“We know that there is going to be a lot of celebration when the Eagles win — let that sit for a minute — but we also want you to do it in a responsible way,” he said.
