Hundreds of teens disrupt northeast Philly boulevard by leaving skating rink

At least four people were arrested after hundreds of teens were exiting a free roller-skating event. Three teens were arrested for disorderly contact; the fourth person was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks at police cars. 

It was reported that there was a free skating night event that took place Rolling Thunder Skating Rink, which is located on the 7200 block of Roosevelt Boulevard, and police were not notified, NBC reported.

The crowd was so massive, a lot of the teens were pushed out of the rink and so they started to walk down the Boulevard. Some of the teens started to chase each other around, causing a bit of chaos. 

Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Joe Sullivan told NBC that, “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.”

NBC reported that 60 officers responded to the scene. 

Although one police car was damaged, no other vehicles or properties were damaged. Even though there were no major issues, officers reported that a few businesses in the area had to be shut down. It was reported by multiple outlets that McDonald’s at Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard and The Wawa at Tyson Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard and a were closed down due to the crowd. 

It was also reported that there were no major injuries. However, NBC reported that one teen maced another.