Video shows drivers doing illegal donuts, burnouts as hundreds gather on Spring Garden streets
PHILADELPHIA - A group of drivers caused chaos on the streets in Philadelphia’s Spring Garden neighborhood over the weekend. This isn’t the first time a street "takeover" has happened, and residents say they are fed up.
"It’s just a dangerous situation and it just, it just sends a signal to people to not come downtown because crazy stud goes on. I mean, it’s not a shooting, but it’s still dangerous," said Jim Pavlock, who lives in Spring Garden.
On Saturday, around 10:30 p.m., hundreds of drivers gathered near the Philadelphia Art Museum, wreaking havoc by racing, and burning rubber doing donuts in their cars, an event that some of the participants call a "takeover."
Concerned onlookers say the scene was out of control. Drivers clogged intersections, making it difficult for police to respond and disperse the crowd.
"The guy was out of control," said Pavlock. "I mean obviously he was spinning around, spinning around and cars were blocking the entire intersection and people were trying to get by. Motorists that happened to be coming down Spring Garden, somebody could have been hit."
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Pavlock says he filed a complaint with the police but has gotten very few answers, which is shocking to many other neighbors who have voiced their concerns after situations like this have happened in the recent past.
"Who knows what could happen, in a scene like that where crazy people, knowing that they’re breaking the law, knowing that the police are going to come, and they only have this much time to do what they want to do, it’s just very unsafe," said Elizabeth Robb who was hosting a sleepover when things began to spiral out of control right outside her window. "You would think police would be prepared if this has happened around the city before. That scares me a little more."
In October 2022, similar chaos unfolded in Old City.
Several cars performed donuts and burnouts at the intersection of Market and 4th streets. Smoke filled the air, along with sounds of the growing crowd and tires spinning out in the middle of the street.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Video: Illegal donuts, burnouts, fireworks erupt as hundreds gather on Old City streets
The crowd dispersed after police arrived, but the same crowd reportedly moved to other locations throughout the city after being broken up in Old City.
This most recent "takeover" in Spring Garden ended similarly to the one in Old City. Police responded and dispersed the crowds, but no arrests were made.
FOX 29’s Ellen Kolodziej reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department to try to get a comment, but did not get a response.