Chaos broke out in downtown Philadelphia after the Kansas City Chiefs’ hopes of winning a third consecutive Super Bowl championship were thwarted by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tens of thousands of football fans poured out of the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday after the Eagles thrashed the Chiefs 40-22 and clinched their second Super Bowl title. But it was 1,200 miles away in Center City where victory celebrations were marred by mayhem.
Videos, which have since gone viral on social media, captured supporters uprooting traffic lights, clambering on buildings and police cars, and setting fires throughout the city.
Philadelphia police arrived at the scene on foot, bikes and horseback, and were forced to intervene after a sea of green jerseys took over Broad Street and Frankford and Cottman avenues.
A fire erupted near 12th and Market streets during fan celebrations, and police tried to disperse crowds using their bikes on Broad Street after a violent clash broke out.
One video depicted people dangerously igniting fireworks within densely crowded areas.
In another clip, Eagles fans ignited a Chiefs jersey while hurling abuse at the team’s all-star tight-end Travis Kelce, shouting “F*** Taylor Swift,” according to The Sun.
Philadelphia police ordered the crowd to disperse at 1.35 a.m. in an alert broadcast to cellphones.
“Philadelphia Police ask crowds to disperse and clear the streets in Center City. Follow public safety instructions on where to safely exit. Watch those around you,” the City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management tweeted early on Monday morning.
In New Orleans, fans also took to Bourbon Street to celebrate. This is the location where U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a high-speed truck into a crowd of revelers, killing 14 and injuring dozens, before being apprehended and killed by police fire in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Some people were seen covered in cake and chocolate milk, which was poured onto them from a balcony, The Sun reports.
Victims of the truck attack, along with first responders, were remembered at the game with an honorary coin toss immediately before kick-off, as members of the New Orleans emergency services held up framed photos of those who had lost their lives.
Security was heightened in the wake of the deadly terror attack, and in light of President Donald Trump being among the crowd of 65,719 NFL fans inside the stadium. More than 100,000 visitors were expected to have made their way to New Orleans over Super Bowl weekend.
The big game unfolded under tight security, with helicopters and armored trucks joining more than 2,700 state, federal and local law enforcement members securing the event, according to officials.
At least 700 Homeland Security personnel were expected to be on the ground in New Orleans to bolster security at the game, according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
