Fox 29′s Bob Kelly assaulted during an event in Sea Isle City
Kelly didn't suffer any serious injuries and is expected to be back on 'Good Day, Philadelphia' on Tuesday, sources said.
»Update: Fox 29′s Bob Kelly thanks supporters after ‘frightening, disturbing event’
Fox 29 traffic anchor Bob Kelly is recovering after being assaulted during an event at the Jersey Shore on Sunday, sources with knowledge of the incident told The Inquirer.
The longtime Philadelphia TV fixture was emceeing a party at Oar House Pub in Sea Isle City when a young man filmed himself pouring beer on Kelly’s shoulder and head, according to sources with knowledge of the incident. When Kelly reacted and attempted to swat away the beer, sources said the man filming punched him in the face.
Kelly was taken to Cape Regional Medical Center but did not suffer any serious injuries, sources said. He’s usually off on Mondays during the summer, but sources said Kelly is expected to be back on Good Day Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Sea Isle City police have not released any information about the incident. Sources say the man was apprehended by the pub’s bouncers and later arrested, but Sea Isle City police did not confirm an arrest. No information about the suspect has been released.
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A Philly native known to viewers as “The Dean of Traffic,” Kelly has been the traffic anchor at Fox 29 on Good Day Philadelphia since 2014. He also hosts Kelly Drives, in which he showcases unique spots across the Philadelphia region. He’s a regular fixture up and down the Shore, where he regularly films segments and takes parts in events.
Kelly began his Philly TV career at CBS3, where he spent 13 years as a traffic reporter. Before that, he reported on the traffic on the radio at KYW Newsradio and other outlets after a career as a DJ didn’t appear in the cards.
“I got started at 102.9 MGK and worked up and down the dial at all the hot stations,” Kelly told SJ Magazine in 2018. “But the music industry was starting to change. Fewer DJs were actually live on the radio; everything was prerecorded. My agent said to me, ‘Traffic is going to be huge. What if you DJ that?’ Traffic is live; it’ll always be live, you can’t prerecord it. So instead of talking up the Rolling Stones, I decided to DJ the traffic.”