Eagles Fan Tyler Sabapathy Dies After Horrific Accident While Celebrating Team’s Super Bowl Berth

An 18-year-old Temple University student died Tuesday after falling from a light pole he climbed to celebrate the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl-clinching playoff victory over the Washington Commanders.

The incident occurred as fans gathered at 15th and Market streets in Philadelphia on Sunday night, an ABC affiliate reported.

Tyler Sabapathy fell backward from the pole and hit his head on the concrete sidewalk, the station reported. He was rushed to a hospital with a brain injury and died there two days later.

A Philly NBC affiliate shared video of Sabapathy perched on the pole before his fall.

“The loss of a promising 18-year-old man like Tyler is both tragic and traumatic,” university president John Fry wrote in an open letter to the school. “There are no words that can make sense of it, and the entire Temple community mourns his passing.”

The letter noted that Sabapathy, a native of Toronto, was a member of the gymnastics club team who majored in exercise and sports science. “Tyler was fascinated with injury prevention, and this ultimately led him to pursue the major that he did. He no doubt had a bright future ahead of him, and it is so tragic that we will not be able to see how he would have made his mark on the world.”

There were other reports after the NFC Championship game of fans scaling poles ― somewhat of a tradition in the city.

An unidentified fan climbs a pole following the Eagles playoff victory to advance to the Super Bowl. One person died after attempting the stunt. Anadolu via Getty Images

During the last time the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl in 2023, many revelers climbed poles and traffic lights despite authorities having them greased as a deterrent.

New Orleans police have warned Eagles fans not to shimmy up poles ahead of the team’s Super Bowl clash against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 9 in the Superdome. The practice is illegal and unsafe, the police said.

Fans took to the streets in Philadelphia after the Eagles defeated Washington to advance to the Super Bowl. Anadolu via Getty Images

Related…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

DMCA.com Protection Status