PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police are investigating several Illegal car meet ups that took place overnight across the city. Police say there were a total of 11 meets involving hundreds of vehicles gathered in the Northeast, South Philly, near the airport, and in front of City Hall.
A car bumper remained on the sidewalk Sunday morning at 15th and Market streets. Outside of City Hall, black skid marks scarred the pavement, running in zig-zags and circles, the signature of an illegal meetup, where police say more than 100 cars gathered at 4:33 a.m.
Video posted to the app Citizen shows cars skidding and drifting around a trash fire in the middle of the street.
Police say between 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 4:33 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to at least four locations, where large groups, ranging in size from 50 to over 200 vehicles, had gathered to watch or participate in illegal street racing, drifting, and other reckless activities, police say.
Black skid marks announce the location of an illegal car meet overnight at 15th and Market streets. Photo credit Justin Udo/KYW Newsradio Meetups are not uncommon on weekends in Philadelphia, but Deputy Commissioner Michael Cram said Sunday afternoon that investigators believe the actions were in retaliation against police and the work they’ve done to fight illegal car meets.
“It was just the aggressiveness at some of the locations. Like the incident outside of City Hall was aggressive,” Cram said. "They physically went after our officers and they were jumping on our car, they broke the windshield. Out at Bartram Island in Bartram, once again, they jumped on a police car and destroyed the police car, while the officers were in the car.”
Some of the meets overnight were more violent than others, and they involved fireworks, car crashes and vandalism. Officials say one officer and one civilian were hurt and are expected to be okay. A number of other officers were attacked, and five police vehicles were damaged, including broken windshields and flattened tires.
The windshield of this Philadelphia police vehicle was smashed-in windshield overnight in a car meetup incident outside of City Hall. Photo credit NBC10 Philadelphia “Everything they do is destructive,” Cram said. “I mean, they’re ruining the quality of life, they are drifting, drag racing. At one point they had a flame thrower. Yes, there’s video of a flame thrower.”
Deputy Commissioner Francis Healy said Sunday afternoon that the activity will not be tolerated.
“If you think you got away last night, you didn’t. So when you hear that banging on your door, it will be us. We’re coming with search warrants and we’re coming with arrest warrants.”
Responding officers issued dozens of citations and made at least two arrests, and there is a warrant for the arrest of one driver who fled from police.
In the first incident, around 9:30 p.m., near Bustleton and Cottman avenues, police say as many as 50 cars were involved. Officers issued nuisance citations to drivers and spectators. Police say one driver, who tried to escape officers by driving right toward them, crashed into another car. Police have a warrant for that driver’s arrest.
Photo credit NBC10 Philadelphia A couple hours later, at 11:47 p.m., over 100 vehicles gathered at 20th Street and Pattison Avenue on the north side of FDR Park, where police made reports of reckless driving and drifting. Police arrested two people from neighboring communities after they crashed into a pole when they attempted to flee the scene.
At 4 a.m., police say, more than 200 cars gathered for drag racing and drifting at Island and Bartram avenues near Philadelphia International Airport. Police say officers were attacked, and a police vehicle was damaged.
“It’s playing whack-a-mole,” Cram said. “I mean, that’s the best way to describe it. We hit them at one location and they move to another very quickly.”
He said police believe the meets are coordinated and involve the same groups of people who can disperse and then get to another location, quickly.
Meetups also happened overnight in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood and near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. KYW Newsradio received reports of dozens of people there around 3 a.m., and responding police officers could be seen rushing toward the area.
Police encourage anyone with information about the incidents overnight to contact them with an anonymous tip via phone or text, at 215-686-TIPS.
Under the nuisance vehicle ordinance, you can get a $2,000 fine, your car can be seized, and you can face other charges. That’s been a helpful tool, police say, but now they’re going through body camera and surveillance video to identify who was involved in the chaos this weekend.
“We have your picture. We’re coming for you,” Healy said.
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