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.
“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.
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.
