New York Daily News

PHILLY IG-NITES

Joyous fans set blazes, go pole crazy

- BY ELLA TORRES, EVAN GROSSMAN and NICOLE HENSLEY

FIRES BURNED, a car was flipped, and crazed celebrants did trust falls off a hotel awning.

In other words, thousands of ecstatic Eagles fans flooded Philadelph­ia’s streets Sunday to revel in their team’s first-ever Super Bowl victory.

Under a hail of fireworks and Eagles chants, thousands of giddy fans clogged Center City, where some scaled the iron gates of City Hall with a keg, and others climbed greasy street poles. On Sunday morning, city workers slicked the poles with hydraulic fluid, which officials thought would be harder to climb than the Crisco they used two weeks ago when the Eagles won the playoffs.

One fan tagged a sidewalk with the message “F--k Tom Brady, Free Meek Mill,” a slap at the losing Patriots and nod to the Philly rapper jailed for a probation violation last year. Meek’s song “Dreams and Nightmares” was the Eagles’ anthem during their title run.

Many nimble revelers scaled utility poles, vehicles and the awning at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. The awning later collapsed amid some of the wildest moments of the citywide celebratio­n. Two streetligh­ts were also reportedly torn down, seriously injuring at least one fan.

Despite hailing from Boston, Jake Morrissey identifies as a lifelong Eagles fan and he was swinging gleefully from a pole — with no cares and no police officers nearby to stop him.

“We don’t care about the cops,” the 18-year-old told the Daily News.

Some of Philly’s most devoted football enthusiast­s jeered and cursed out Patriots star quarterbac­k Tom Brady as they watched a Christmas tree burn to a crisp.

“F--k Tom Brady,” they shouted in the streets and on video that circulated on social media.

Others jovially passed celebrator­y beers to fellow sports fans while strolling in the middle of the streets.

The moment Christian Monti learned the Eagles were going to the Super Bowl, he naturally had their logo tattooed on his right buttocks.

“That was the reason the Eagles won,” a pal said as the proud tat owner gave a full Monti display of his ink.

The number of arrests was not immediatel­y available. One police sergeant with 25 years on the Philly police force under his belt estimated that the streets were teeming with at least 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, in Boston, riot-geared cops were dispatched to funereal gatherings after the Patriots lost 41-33.

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