Philly pool shuts down for season after staffers report assault and vandalism by swimmers they tried to kick out
Staff at McVeigh Recreation Center attempted to eject three females for “unruly behavior” but they refused to leave, police said. Five people reported minor injuries and three cars were vandalized.
A city pool in Kensington was shut down for the season Friday in part due to an incident in which three females caused a disturbance and physically assaulted the staff, police said.
Shortly before 4:30 p.m. Thursday, staff at McVeigh Recreation Center at D and East Ontario Streets attempted to eject the females for “unruly behavior” but they refused to leave and instead taunted and threatened staffers, police said.
The staff shut down the pool and the other occupants exited without an issue, police said.
Police said the three females were thought to be juveniles, but officials did not have complete descriptions of them. They allegedly attempted to follow staff into the recreation building and the confrontation became physical as staff tried to prevent them from entering.
Afterward, the females allegedly vandalized three vehicles parked outside.
At some point, two males got into the building and took a bag belonging to an employee, but the bag was recovered, police said. Another employee reported that a bag was taken from her vehicle.
The females then fled the scene.
Five people, ranging in age from 17 to 63, reported minor injuries, police said. No arrests had been made.
At a news conference Friday, Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell said the city has closed the McVeigh pool for the rest of the summer. The department will instead open the pool at Scanlon Recreational Center seven days a week, increasing its schedule from five days a week. Scanlon is about a mile from McVeigh, which was open two days a week.
“We have to make sure that the safety of our staff and of the children and families that come to our pools is first and foremost. That’s always going to be our priority,” Lovell said.
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This incident was just one factor in the decision to close McVeigh. Lovell added that nearly every evening since the pool opened, night watchmen have observed people breaking into the pool. Those who illegally entered after hours, she said, would jump in the pool or vandalize the site and equipment. To stem the break-ins, Lovell said, staff had been draining the pool on weekends, but people kept entering, which she called “a real public safety hazard.”
“This is really in response to just wanting to make sure people stay safe,” Lovell said. “People are entering a pool after hours without lifeguards. That’s a life-and-death situation.”
The department, she said, will maintain a police presence at Scanlon when it is open for the remainder of the season.