After a night of Super Bowl euphoria, Eagles fans wake up happy, hoarse, and hung over

When the game ended, you could hardly find a slice of quiet in Center City and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Updated: 3:55 p.m.

After a night of euphoria, partying, and a fair amount of property damage, Philadelphia is waking up happy, hoarse, and hungover.

The Eagles bested the New England Patriots in Minneapolis on Sunday, bringing home the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the first time in Philadelphia history, unleashing a feeling of joy that swept across the city.

When the game ended, you could hardly find a slice of quiet in Center City and the surrounding neighborhoods.

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Fireworks crackled in all directions. Car horns blared. Strangers greeted each other like old friends, with high-fives and hugs. Almost everybody within earshot took part in spontaneous renditions of the Eagles fight song.

On Broad Street, thousands of people packed the streets, blocking traffic, chanting profanity aimed at Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and somehow managing to climb pre-greased light poles. The City of Brotherly Love turned into a sea of green.

On Monday morning, the signs of street partying the night before remained. Police officers directed traffic at an intersection outside City Hall where fans had torn down several traffic lights. Caution tape blocked piles of shattered glass at Macy’s where a man had kicked in the windows. A group flipped a car.

Three people were arrested overnight for various offenses stemming from the celebrations, said police spokeswoman Officer Tanya Little. But authorities expect more arrests, as investigators examine videos from social media, street cameras, and building security cameras to identify vandals and other law-breakers, Little added.

City spokeswoman Ajeenah Amir said officials haven’t tallied up how much property damages and police overtime from the overnight fracas will cost the city.

Fans heading into work, looking a little groggier than usual, said the late-night celebrations were worth it.

“A lot of us was drinking, but we had such a fantastic time. I’m so hoarse,” said Marquita Klotz, of Willow Grove, after getting off her train at Suburban Station around 8 a.m. She watched the game at her uncle’s house in Philadelphia, where she said there was a lot of shouting and cursing at the TV. “I only got like two hours of sleep. I am barely sober, but I made it to work!”

Josh Graff caught the game at XFinity Live, the South Philly entertainment venue near the sports stadiums. “It was just crazy. People were going nuts. If you were wearing an Eagles jersey, you were like god. That’s how it was.”

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles led the team to its 41-33 victory over the Pats, even catching one of the touchdown passes during a trick play in the first half.

Foles stepped into the top spot toward the end of the team’s season, when starting quarterback Carson Wentz was forced onto the sidelines with a torn ACL.

When asked Monday morning about his future with the team, Foles said he was still basking in the win.

“There will be a time and a place to handle all that, but I take a lot of pride in wearing the Eagles jersey and just enjoy being here,” he said.

The feeling was the same for long-suffering Eagles fans hopeful for — but never really expecting — a championship. And it helped that the perennial underdog achieved victory by beating Tom Brady and the Patriots, who already have five Super Bowl rings.

“I’m a long-time fan of the Eagles, so we finally got it done,” said Jack Hilferty, of Langhorne. “But also a long-time hater of the Patriots, because we wanted to end that streak. So it was a really good time.”

Dana DiFilippo contributed reporting. 

 

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