Philly social media influencer ‘Meatball’ will face trial on looting charges

A Philadelphia social media influencer who goes by the name “Meatball,” who live-streamed looting across Philadelphia last year after a judge dropped murder charges against a police officer who shot and killed a Kensington man, will face trial on burglary and related charges, a judge ruled Monday.

Dayjia Blackwell, 22, a local influencer who has a massive following on Instagram and TikTok, was held for court on charges of burglary, conspiracy, criminal trespass, and related crimes.

Blackwell’s attorney, Jessica Mann, declined to comment Monday.

The looting that prosecutors say Blackwell took part in was sparked by a judge’s decision to drop all charges, including murder, against Officer Mark Dial, who prosecutors say shot and killed Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop in Kensington. The decision last Septemberdrew immediate public outcry and Irizarry’s family, friends, and supporters organized a peaceful protest near City Hall the same day.

Shortly after that protest wrapped up without incident, and mere blocks away in Center City, a group of people began vandalizing and looting local stores, including the Apple Store on Walnut Street, police said. Among the looters, and broadcasting to her thousands of followers, prosecutors said, was Blackwell.

“What we doing tonight behind this injustice tap in?” Blackwell wrote to her followers on Instagram earlier that day after the judge’s decision to drop charges.

Blackwell’s videos of the vandalism and theft that followed posted to Instagram throughout the night and showed groups of people targeting Center City businesses before heading to the Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia.

Blackwell’s posts showed people stealing iPhones and other devices and smashing them on the sidewalk outside and vandalizing a Lululemon store. Blackwell also filmed people looting a liquor store in another part of the city, police said.

Blackwell was arrested mid-livestream, one of the 52 people taken into custody on the night of the looting, police said.

She is scheduled for arraignment on March 18, according to court records.