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Vehicles pelted with rocks, debris thrown from train overpass onto Philadelphia highway

Published  September 8, 2022 5:39pm EDT
Crime & Public Safety
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Vehicles pelted with rocks, debris thrown from train overpass on Philadelphia highway

Over a dozen cars were reportedly pelted with rocks and other debris that police say was thrown from a railroad tracks crossing over a major Philadelphia highway. While no one was hurt by the thrown material, police are trying to track down who was responsible.

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities are investigating after motorists reported being pelted with rocks and other debris while driving down a Philadelphia highway on Tuesday night. 

A driver who asked to remain anonymous told FOX 29 that he was driving on I-76 eastbound near the Passyunk and Oregon Avenue exit around 7 p.m. when his car was struck by a large rock. 

He described the sound of the rock shattering his windshield as an "explosion" that sent glass fragments scattered across the inside of his brand-new car. 

"When the car got his I thought I got shot, the car got shot, that's how much of an explosion it was," he said. 

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The unnamed driver pulled his vehicle to the side of the road where several other cars had stopped after also being struck by thrown debris.

"There was a guy about 5-10 cars up from me that said a rock had gone through the windshield and struck a woman in the face that she needed emergency services," he said. 

Another driver who was in the shoulder of the highway claimed that her car was struck by a fire extinguisher, according to the anonymous driver. 

Officers from the Delaware River Port Authority said one person was throwing debris from the CSX Railroad overpass, but they ran away before police arrived. 

Dozens of cars were damaged when police say someone hurled rocks and other debris onto a busy Philadelphia highway.

Police took a total of 19 reports of vehicle damage. They said no drivers were physically hurt and none of the damage required any vehicles to be towed.

The railroad tracks where police believe someone hurled debris is supposed to be closed off to foot traffic, but it's not inaccessible. 

Meanwhile, drivers whose cars were damaged know the outcome could have been a lot worse than a hefty repair bill.

"It’s one of these things where we can’t say kids will be kids, this is not a joke," an anonymous driver said. "I think we would have a lot different outcome if someone was killed or really harmed."