An 18-year-old Eagles fan who climbed a light pole during a citywide celebration after the Eagles victory in the NFC Championship Game has died.
Tyle Sabapathy, a student at Temple University in Philadelphia, hit his head upon impact with the ground and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, police told Fox 29 in Philadelphia. Sabapathy died later from his injuries.
“The loss of a promising 18-year-old man like Tyler is both tragic and traumatic,” Temple University said in a statement. “There are no words that can make sense of it, and the entire Temple community mourns his passing. Our hearts go out to Tyler’s family, friends, classmates, and all who knew and loved him.
“A native of Toronto, Canada, Tyler was already a thriving student within Temple University’s College of Public Health, where he was majoring in exercise and sport science. As an accomplished gymnast with more than 120 medals in provincial, regional, and international competitions, 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.
“As a member of the university’s club gymnastics team, Tyler displayed exceptional self-discipline and work ethic, spending countless hours a week training and honing his craft. He was loved by his teammates, friends, and coaches here in Philadelphia.”
Sabapathy’s tragic death was not the only incident to mar the postgame celebrations. No less than three people were injured when a driver drove into a crowd of pedestrians exiting Lincoln Financial Field after the victory. The driver was arrested. Thankfully, none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.
