Philadelphia

4 Charged After 500 Teens Pushed Out of Roller Rink Gather on Roosevelt Boulevard, Police Say

Three of the teens were charged with disorderly conduct while one teen was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks at a police car, investigators said

What to Know

  • A crowd of up to 500 people gathered outside a roller rink on Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia, police said.
  • Police said the crowd had been pushed out of an overcrowded free skating event at a local roller rink.
  • SkyForce10 was above the scene as some of the teens started fighting and chasing after each other.

At least four people were arrested after hundreds of teens were pushed out of an overcrowded event at a roller skating rink on Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia Monday night, police said.

Police told NBC10 a free skating night was taking place at the Rolling Thunder Skating Rink on Roosevelt Boulevard. Police also said the rink never notified them of the event.

The crowd soon became so large that many of the teens were pushed out of the rink, according to investigators.

Up to 500 teens then began walking up and down the Boulevard around 8 p.m. SkyForce10 was over the scene as some of the teens began fighting and chasing after one another. One of the teens was also maced by another teen, police said.

Around 60 police officers responded to the scene. Three of the teens were charged with disorderly conduct while one teen was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks at a police car, investigators said.

"Initially they were calm but as more juveniles got pushed out of the roller rink, they started jumping in cars and conducting themselves in other types of disorderly behavior," Deputy Commissioner Joe Sullivan said.

Tanisha Warren of North Philadelphia told NBC10 her daughter and niece were at the skating rink for the event and claimed a few of the teens ruined the night for everyone else.

"I feel upset because my kids could've been hurt," Warren said. "I don't got time and they'll never go again."

Both the Wawa on Tyson Avenue and the boulevard as well as the McDonald's restaurant at Cottman Avenue and the boulevard were closed due to the disturbance. 

One police car was damaged.

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