On Monday, Upper Darby Township Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt said 15 subjects had been taken into custody following Thursday night’s America 250th Celebration at Bonner & Prendergast High School in which he said troublemakers intent on creating a problem disrupted the event.
Six of those arrested were adults and the others were juveniles. He said that only two were from Upper Darby Township, but they will all be charged.
“I’m disappointed, but pissed,” Bernhardt said. “The mayor, council along with police and organizers had set up an event which had something for everyone, but some youth were looking to create problems.”
Bernhardt said there was one incident outside and two inside the event. Officials had prepared for a safe and enjoyable event. Police had set up barricades on the perimeter and at the midpoint to control the flow of visitors.
Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown. (COURTESY OF UPPER DARBY)
Mayor Ed Brown issued a lengthy statement about the problems caused that night that read in part: “Unfortunately, there were some bad actors whose intent appeared to be causing a disruption. And in some ways, they succeeded. Let this be very clear: this kind of behavior will not be tolerated … There were arrests made, and there may be more to come. Parents must understand that unsupervised children cannot be dropped off at our events for us to handle. We will not tolerate it.”
Bernhardt continued:
At one point, youth attempted to create a stampede and started to run. This occurred at other events in the county, most recently during the Hero Bowl football game, in which a group flees a perceived threat.
The barricade in the center of the property between the Delaware County Community College building and the high school curtailed that attempt.
A separate emergency in which a 15-year-old fell into a pipe and had to be removed by firefighters and EMS forced police to remove barriers at that end. As a result, another faux stampede occurred in that area.
Bernhardt said police community affair officers had identified youth coming to the event putting on masks as they were dropped off, and warned officers at the event. Eventually, youth not accompanied by adults were denied entry.
Following the disruptions, youth spread out into business areas and neighborhoods creating chaos.
Bernhardt credited his officers for their actions and restraint. Some parents had voiced displeasure with the arrests.
“We’re not going to let people come in here and create chaos and not face consequences,” he said. “They will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Bernhardt said that, in addition, police are reviewing additional surveillance video from their department as well as stores in an attempt to identify others to be charged.
Bernhardt said at one point there was a report of shots fired, but officers were at that location when it occurred and don’t at this time believe there were gunshots.
Brown added: “While we understand that kids will be kids, and that some people feel the need to be disruptive, we will not accept, nor condone, bad actors whose intent is to interfere with family-based events in our community. We will learn … and make decisions about what modifications need to be made to ensure welcoming, safe, and enjoyable events in the future.”
Councilman David G. Bantoe
Chair, Upper Darby Township Public Safety Committee. (COURTESY PHOTO)
“I want to thank the Upper Darby Police Department and our neighboring law enforcement agencies for their swift, coordinated, and professional response. Their actions helped restore order, protect residents, and prevent the situation from escalating further. We are grateful for their continued commitment to keeping our community safe,” said Councilman David G. Bantoe chair of the Upper Darby Township Public Safety Committee. “This incident also highlights the importance of clear, coordinated and timely communication during public safety emergencies. Residents deserve accurate, consistent, and unified information from their local government.”
Bantoe said he will be advocating for stronger communication protocols among public safety agencies, township administration, and elected officials to ensure the public receives reliable information during critical incidents.
He also noted an overwhelming majority of those attending community events come to celebrate peacefully.
“We will not allow the actions of a small group of individuals to define our township or discourage families from participating in future community events,” Bantoe said.
Upper Darby Council President Marion Minick. (COURTESY PHOTO)
Township Council President Marion Minick had a similar take, and took a similar stance to Brown in looking ahead:
“I want to thank the Upper Darby Police Department, our firefighters, EMS personnel, Public Works employees, and the neighboring agencies that assisted in keeping our community safe. Their professionalism under difficult circumstances deserves our appreciation.
“This is an opportunity to improve how we plan for large public events. I’ll be asking our solicitors to draft legislation requiring ingress and egress plans for events that draw large crowds.
“Upper Darby should continue to host community events that bring people together. We also have a responsibility to learn from every event and make the next one even better.”