Eagles fan dies after fall from pole in celebration​on January 29, 2025 at 2:45 pm

An 18-year-old Temple University student has died after falling from a light pole while celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFC championship win.

Tyler Sabapathy was among the fans celebrating on the streets of Philadelphia after the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 55-23 on Sunday. Video shows Sabapathy holding onto a street pole then slipping and falling flat on his back, hitting his head on the concrete sidewalk. He was hospitalized with a brain injury and pronounced dead two days later.

Temple president John Fry and vice president for student affairs Jodi Bailey issued a statement Tuesday.

“The loss of a promising 18-year-old man like Tyler is both tragic and traumatic,” the statement read in part. “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.”

Sabapathy, a Toronto native, was an exercise and sport science major at Temple’s College of Public Health, according to school officials. He was also an accomplished gymnast with more than 120 medals.

“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,” school administrators said.

Philadelphia officials did not say whether they greased city utility poles on Sunday to discourage fans from climbing them. According to a local news report, police held an internal briefing to discuss how to handle the next possible celebration, which could be in two weeks after the Super Bowl.