Local family says man with nonverbal autism handcuffed at Philadelphia carnival

Local family says man with non-verbal autism handcuffed at Philadelphia carnival

A Delaware County family is advocating for better awareness and training for people with autism after they say a family member was handcuffed during an outburst of frustration at a Philadelphia circus.

PHILADELPHIA - A Delaware County family is advocating for awareness and training after they say a family member with autism was handcuffed during an outburst of frustration at a Philadelphia circus.

Kevin Bradley, 31, has autism and is nonverbal but the joy a carnival brings him is palpable. Kevin's sister, Kylie Moreschi, who runs the non-profit Emmaus House that provides housing and services for adults with intellectual disabilities, described his love for carnivals as "one of his greatest joys in the world."

Family members now fear that Kevin's joy is forever tarnished after an incident that unfolded last week at S.E.E.Y.A carnival in South Philadelphia.

Moreschi said an Emmaus House staff member went with Kevin to the carnival run by Houghton Enterprises, Inc on Friday night. Their staff know Kevin as a long-time visitor.

Moreschi said Kevin got upset when carnival staff had to close down his favorite ride due to high winds. Since he is non-verbal, he expressed his frustration differently.

"He had some items in his backpack that he threw, he hit his staff, and again, our staff our trained to deescalate," Moreschi said. "What our staff would need is for them to back the public off, to give them and Kevin space to process what’s happening."

Instead, Houghton Enterprises hired security and Philadelphia police responded, and a crowd formed. Kevin was handcuffed, as shown in a cell phone video provided to FOX 29.

The video shows him sitting in the dirt, saying "sorry." A security officer can be heard saying, "just so you know he’s never allowed to come back here."

Another video given to FOX 29 shows police take the handcuffs off Kevin and let him sit in the staff member’s car until his house supervisor, Deraya Jones showed up. She described the scene as tense and chaotic.

"I’m like, excuse me, he needs his space, this is why it’s getting intensified instead of the opposite way, because you’re all surrounding him," Jones said.

A spokesperson for Philadelphia Police tells FOX 29 there is yearly mandatory training which does often involve crisis intervention scenarios, along with optional CIT training. Police were already stationed at the carnival as part of security detail when they were asked to assist.

A spokesperson for Autism Speaks recommends giving a person with autism plenty of space and time, to avoid quick movements and to not touch the person unless absolutely necessary.

"It’s so important for them to understand that behaviors or crisis situation of someone that has autism or mental health issues doesn’t make them a criminal," says Moreschi, who took pictures of visible bruises, scratches, and marks on her brother after the whole ordeal. "They just need help from trained professionals."

The owner of Houghton Enterprises Inc. told said they have known and accommodated Kevin and his staff for more than 10 years and are fully investigating. They say Kevin should not have been told that he was banned, just that he had to leave that day.