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An organizer of chaotic car meetups in Philly last month arrested in Bucks County, police say

Joseph Cavanaugh, 21, of Levittown, was charged with aggravated assault, causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal conspiracy, and related offenses.

Philadelphia police at the scene of a car crash at the intersection of Pattison Avenue and Third Street in Philadelphia that occurred during a series of chaotic street takeovers on Sept. 22, 2024.
Philadelphia police at the scene of a car crash at the intersection of Pattison Avenue and Third Street in Philadelphia that occurred during a series of chaotic street takeovers on Sept. 22, 2024.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

A 21-year-old Bucks County man described as an organizer of the chaotic car meetups and street takeovers that struck across Philadelphia over a seven-hour period last month was arrested on Friday, police said.

Joseph Cavanaugh was arrested at a home on the first block of Coral Lane in Levittown and charged with aggravated assault, causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal conspiracy, riot, fleeing police, and related offenses.

Also arrested on Friday was 20-year-old James Hare of the city’s Somerton section. Hare was charged with causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal conspiracy, riot, fleeing police, and related offenses.

So far, eight people have been arrested for their alleged participation in the multiple street takeovers that occurred starting around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 21 and ended just after 4:30 the next morning.

Police said crowds had gathered at multiple locations — with estimates of 50 to more than 200 vehicles at each scene — “engaging in illegal street racing, drifting, and other reckless activities.”

Police pursued the cars in what they described as a game of “whack-a-mole,” arriving just in time for the crowds to rapidly disperse, then move to a new location. One officer suffered minor injuries.

A 19-year-old participant from Long Island told The Inquirer last month that the takeovers in Philadelphia were organized by drivers from across the region, including from as far as New York, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Police asked that anyone with information about the incidents call the department at 215-686-TIPS (8477).