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Two more arrests are made in last weekend’s ‘Project X’ car meetup incidents in Philly

Arrested were an 18-year-old from Pittsburgh and a 20-year-old from northern New Jersey.

Just after midnight on the morning of Sept. 22, Philadelphia police investigate the scene of a one-car crash at the intersection of Pattison Avenue and South Third Street, believed to be part of the vehicles involved in nearly a dozen car meetups that caused mayhem throughout the city.
Just after midnight on the morning of Sept. 22, Philadelphia police investigate the scene of a one-car crash at the intersection of Pattison Avenue and South Third Street, believed to be part of the vehicles involved in nearly a dozen car meetups that caused mayhem throughout the city.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Police said Saturday that two more people — a 20-year-old woman from northern New Jersey and an 18-year-old man from Pittsburgh — have been arrested in last weekend’s seven-hour-long series of “Project X” car meetup incidents throughout Philadelphia in which, in some cases, police were attacked in their cars.

Alexis Boyce, of Englishtown, Monmouth County, surrendered to police, and Albert Woyner was arrested by state police in Pittsburgh and was transported to Philadelphia, police said. Both were charged with several offenses, including risking a catastrophe and rioting.

Police said that between around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, and 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, 50 to 200 vehicles had gathered at multiple locations “engaging in illegal street racing, drifting, and other reckless activities.

Police pursued the groups 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 that the meetup was organized with drivers, or “sliders,” from across the region, from New York to North Carolina and Virginia, as a final ode to summer. He asked not to be identified so he could speak openly about the illegal racing scene, which he has participated in for about five years.

As with similar meets, the event was organized through Instagram stories, he said, and was called “Project X,” a nod to the 2012 film about high schoolers who host an unruly party.

Police said they arrested three people last weekend.

Jhonny Martinez, a 19-year-old from Upper Darby, was charged with recklessly endangering another person after police said he crashed into a pole at Third Street and Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia while fleeing officers. He has been released from custody on his own recognizance, according to court records.

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