Three Temple students were assaulted as a large crowd of “disorderly” minors gathered in the area of Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue on Saturday night in North Philadelphia, university officials announced.
In a letter to the Temple community, Vice President for Public Safety Jennifer Griffin and Vice President for Student Affairs Jodi Bailey Accavallo said the crowd gathered on campus at about 7 p.m. Griffin and Accavallo said that additional officers were sent to the area after the minors became “disorderly” throughout the night.
One Temple student was assaulted near Temple Towers, a residence hall for students, and another was assaulted in the area of 12th and Montgomery streets. According to the letter, the injuries to the students are being evaluated. A third student was pushed to the ground during the incident, but didn’t require medical attention.
“Incidents like tonight’s are unacceptable,” Griffin and Accavallo wrote. “While we had no advance warning of tonight’s gathering, TUDPS has been in regular contact with PPD regarding planned and unannounced juvenile gatherings. These gatherings typically take place on public property, but their impact negatively affects our Temple community. We will continue to work with the city and PPD to address these incidents.”
Arrests were made on Saturday night in the area of Broad and Cecil B. Moore, but minors wanted in connection with the assaults on Temple students haven’t been identified, according to university officials. Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department.
Temple students impacted by Saturday night’s incidents are encouraged to seek support through Tuttleman Counseling Services. University officials are also urging students to familiarize themselves with safety resources, like the walking escort program and Flight. Temple students can also call university police at 215-204-1234 during an emergency.
The assaults happened while students in the School District of Philadelphia were on spring break. A similar gathering happened roughly one year ago in the same area on Temple’s campus.