While some Facebook users understood the expected over 100 degree weather could put people at risk, others felt strongly about the lack of celebration.
“What a disappointment for not only those of us who had hoped to watch, but also for the bands and other marchers who have come from all across the U.S.” one user commented. ”I get it — no one wants the liability. But are we just going to cancel everything?”
Another added, “It’s the 250th in the Birthplace of Freedom, and we’re just canceling parades because it’s warm,” leaving people to argue and point out that it wasn’t simply a warm day in Philadelphia, but a dangerous heat advisory.
Friday’s high is expected to break records in Philadelphia, with the anticipated minimum high of 104 last met in 1966 — when the nation was a mere 190 years old.
Experts say this is different and riskier than warm days in past Julys.
Over the past 85 years, Julys in Philadelphia are running on average 4.4 degrees warmer than in 1940, based on an analysis of historical weather data. That translates to an increase of about 0.52 degrees per decade.
The city on Tuesday declared a “heat health emergency” in effect from 1 p.m. Wednesday through 8 p.m. Saturday. Across the Northeast, outdoor events are being rescheduled or canceled, citing the heat. Those events range from other America 250 events to local farmers’ markets.
Friday’s parade would have featured elaborate, giant floats paying tribute to America, including larger-than-life recreations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman, a peace dove, and a Liberty Bell.
Inquirer staff writer Anthony R. Wood contributed to this report.
While waiting for his SEPTA bus, Jake McGovern, 28, noticed at least three routes go by his corner in Point Breeze.
He wondered if route numbers had any particular meaning: Maybe 7 indicated a north-south route, and 9 meant east-west.
“There has to be some logic to it,” he thought.
No amount of looking at the bus maps proved helpful in deciphering the pattern, so McGovern asked Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for questions about the city: “Is there any rhyme or reason for the SEPTA bus numbering system?”
Places like New York City have bus lines with a combination of letters and numbers that show the borough they serve: Bx (Bronx), B (Brooklyn), M (Manhattan), and even S for Staten Island.
Philly, on the other hand, has always vibed to its own logic, even when that might mean not having one.
SEPTA operates more than 120 bus routes, including the lines to the suburbs. But bus numbers in Philly do not indicate where routes go or which streets they operate on, according to SEPTA spokesperson John Golden.
SEPTA bus numbers above 90 are lines driving to the suburbs.
The routes below 90 were formerly Philadelphia Transportation Co. streetcar routes, Golden said.
The bus numbers in Philly are a relic of a time when Philadelphians moved through streetcars pulled by horses.
Back then, the lines were named in the order they were introduced, Billy Penn reported in 2020. When bus routes replaced them, the route numbers were retained.
For areas with new bus routes,letters were assigned as the route identifier. Eventually, new bus routes were numbered in the high 80s, Golden said.
The letter system ended in February 2025, when SEPTA renamed bus routes named after letters into numbers, turning:
The G into 63
The H into 71
The J into 41
The L into 51
The R into 82
The XH into 81
Upon hearing the explanation McGovern said, “Oh, jeez” between laughs.
“It’s kind of a letdown, but it’s funny that it worked out like that,” McGovern said. “I imagine the randomness is probably useful to other people in the city as well, because it makes it very unique.”
For folks planning ahead, these are roads that will be closed as Philly celebrates the nation’s 250th with the Wawa Welcome America Festival:
Thursday, June 25
Starting at 8 a.m., thenorth traffic lane on Market Street (between Fifth and Sixth Streets) is closed to accommodate the stage buildup for the Independence National Historical Park concert.
The north lane should reopen to traffic by 10 p.m.
Friday, June 26
The stage buildup continues. The north lane on Market Street (between Fifth and Sixth Streets) will be shut down once again from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Reservoir Drive in front of Smith Playground is also scheduled to be closed for Kidchella. Between noon and 11 p.m. the drive will be shut down to accommodate the free music festival with art stations.
The Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 16th Street to 17th Street
Arch Street between 15th and 16th Streets
16th Street from John F. Kennedy Boulevard to Arch Street
All streets are expected to reopen at midnight.
Sunday, June 28
Market Street and its north sidewalk (from Fifth to Sixth Streets) are scheduled to be closed from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the gospel concert at Independence Hall.
The north traffic lane on Market Street will also be shut down for the concert between 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Tuesday, June 30
The inner lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 20th Street to Binswanger Triangle will close starting at 6 a.m. in preparation for the One Philly: Unity Concert for America July 4th concert and fireworks. Closures will remain in place through Monday at 6 a.m.
Market Street north traffic lane from Fifth to Sixth Streets
Closing between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Walnut Street from Second to Fourth Streets
Closed between 11 a.m. until the parade ends or passes
Chestnut Street between Second and Fifth Streets
Market Street at Fifth Street
Chestnut Street at Fifth Street closure starts at 11:15 a.m.
Closing between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets
Sixth Street between Arch and Market Streets
Market Street north sidewalk from Fifth to Sixth Streets
Closing July 2 and July 3
Fifth Street from Race Street to Chestnut Street is closed from July 2 at noon to July 3 at 5 p.m.
Friday, July 3
With the Salute to Independence Parade the Philly Pops concert at Independence Mall, and the Parkway concert and fireworks, Friday brings more road closures. Expect some streets to close as early as 4 a.m.
Closing between 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Three streets will be closed between Spruce and Arch Streets:
Third Street
Fourth Street
Fifth Street
Closing between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Market Street from Fifth to Sixth Streets
Closing from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. on Monday
1900 block of Race Street
1800-1900 Vine Street
I-676 off-ramp at 22nd Street
I-676 on-ramp at 22nd Street
I-76 eastbound off-famp at Spring Garden Street
Spring Garden Tunnel
Park Towne Place between 22nd and 24th Streets
20th Street between Arch Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
19th Street between Callowhill and Cherry Streets
Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 17th Street to Eakins Oval (all lanes)
Eakins Oval (all lanes)
Kelly Drive between Eakins Oval and Fairmount Avenue (Kelly Drive inbound closed at Fountain Green Drive beginning at about 5 p.m.)
Rear of Art Museum – Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive
2000-2100 Winter Street
MLK Drive from Falls Bridge to Eakins Oval
Spring Garden Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and 31st Street
23rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Eakins Oval
22nd Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
21st Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
All roads from Arch Street to Spring Garden Street, 18th to 22nd Streets (local access maintained for residents)
All roads from Arch Street to Fairmount Avenue, 22nd to Corinthian Streets (local access maintained for residents)
16th and 17th Streets, between Arch and Spring Garden Streets will be closed only if conditions warrant in the interest of public safety
1600-1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed only if conditions warrant in the interest of public safety
Closingfrom 11:30 a.m. until the parade ends
Market Street from Sixth to 17th Streets
Seventh Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
Eighth Street between Arch Street and Walnut Streets
Ninth Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
10th Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
11th Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
12th Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
13th Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
John F. Kennedy Boulevard between Juniper and 17th Streets
North Broad Street between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Arch Street
15th Street between Cherry and Chestnut Streets
Benjamin Franklin Parkway between Arch and 20th Streets
16th Street between Cherry and Chestnut Streets
17th Street between Race and Arch Streets
18th Street between Vine and Cherry Streets
19th Street between Vine and Cherry Streets
20th Street between Vine and Race Streets
Chestnut Street between 11th and 16th Streets
Closing between 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sixth Street from Market to Race Streets
North sidewalk on Market Street from Fifth to Sixth Streets
Saturday, July 4
Sealing the 250th festivities, the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony brings few more road closures. Closures related to the Parkway concert and fireworks continue.
Closing between 8 a.m. to noon
Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets
Market Street north sidewalk from Fifth to Sixth Streets
Closing between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 5
Kelly Drive from Fairmount Avenue to Fountain Green Drive
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul was a center of resilience Sunday, as dozens of Philly Venezuelans gathered to collect aid for folks affected by two earthquakes that struck the South American country on Wednesday.
Emilio Buitrago, 52, was driving home when his brother called, telling him a 7.2 magnitude earthquake had decimated their home city of La Guaira, about 18 miles north of Caracas, the capital. Less than a minute later, a second tremor took place, this time reaching a magnitude of 7.5.
One of his cousins was unaccounted for, for two days before being located on Friday morning.
“My three cousins lost their homes; they are alive by a miracle. My uncle managed to get out, but he’s injured,” Buitrago said. “They are sleeping in the street because it feels safer [in case buildings collapse] and they said it’s starting to smell like decomposing bodies.”
Since the earthquakes, Buitrago’s brother has been working nonstop, he said, removing rubble with his bare hands due to the lack of tools and machinery.
Thousands of miles away from home, Buitrago thought the best way to help was to go to the cathedral and help with collecting donations and praying.
By 1 p.m., 15 boxes sat on the area outside of the Cathedral’s chapel, being filled with donated masks, first aid supplies, medicine, electrolytes, nasal relief products, and more.
Alex Moreno, president of the local nonprofit Gente de Venezuela, said the donations will be sent to Caracas, where their contacts are connecting with on-the-ground rescuers.
“It has to be now, when we still have a chance to try to help get the people who are still trapped under the rubble out alive,” Moreno said.
So far, the death toll has risen to 1,430 people, according to CNN, with many Venezuelans taking to social media to ask for help moving the structural debris to rescue their loved ones.
Besides collecting physical donations, both Gente de Venezuela and another nonprofit, Casa de Venezuela, are raising funds through an umbrella group, the Venezuelan Organizations Network in the United States. By late Sunday afternoon, $16,310 had been donated for the effort, which has a goal of $75,000.
That money, Moreno said, is destined for buying tools to help rescuers dig through the rubble. A first batch of hammers, gloves, drills, masks, and other supplies has been purchased with that money and sent to Venezuela, Moreno said.
For future physical donations, he recommends following Gente de Venezuela and Casa de Venezuela to see where they will be receiving donations next.
“The hope is to try and help rescue as many people as possible, because the rescuers on the ground are saying that the tragedy is too big for the number of hands able to help back home,” Moreno said.
Despite the pain, the community is sticking together and his group plans plan to continue with their planned participation in the July 3 Salute to Independence parade in Philadelphia, to honor both the lives lost and the rescuers, Moreno said.
“Above all, we are people of resilience, and we will continue to be here to support our community,” Moreno said.
A shooting in the wee hours of Sunday left two men dead and two others injured in the Fairhill section of Philadelphia, police said.
Gunshots prompted police to arrive near 5th and Westmoreland Streets right before 3 a.m.
Police took one man to Temple University Hospital. He was pronounced dead.
Two men brought themselves to Temple University Hospital, police said. They are in stable condition.
A fourth man was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, police said. He died soon after.
So far, no arrests have been made. Police have yet to release the men’s ages and names, or a motive, but the investigation is ongoing with the Homicide Unit.
Thousands of Ecuadorian fans came face-to-face with the Rocky statue curse over the weekend. As the Ecuadorian team fell to the Ivory Coast, 1-0, many blamed fans who draped the iconic statue of the Italian Stallion in their signature yellow jersey.
Their actions even triggered the Pennsylvania Tourism Office to officially alert teams worldwide:
“Philadelphia can’t wait to host you! (but Rocky does not need your kit),” the statement read.
The warning came too late for Ecuadorian native Gigio Benavides, who had spent a week hand-making a version of his team’s jersey with loved ones just to place it on Rocky on June 13, the day before the Ecuadorian loss.
But the 38-year-old didn’t know about the other teams that have suffered the same fate after gussying up Rocky in their own team’s unis.
“Rocky is an example of discipline and consistency. He was always facing people who had so much more, but he never gave up. We needed that spirit,” Benavides said in Spanish.
Ecuadorian soccer fans attend a flag-waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of their first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast last weekend.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
A week before the World Cup began, he measured the statue through online pictures to ensure the shirt would fit.
Five friends, who make school uniforms for a living, helped him bring the yellow shirt to life using a 2XL shirt template.
They left the sides open to ensure the statue’s lifted arms would fit, and his aunt sewed clips on the sides in case more room was needed.
“That was good because Rocky was really, really muscular,” Benavides said.
To top it off, they added Rocky’s name on the back with the inscription: “Dream, transcend, and make history.”
Benavides traveled 26 hours and 3,000 miles from his small town in Loja, Ecuador, to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. But, not before telling his friends that if they saw the shirt, to know that he made it.
He arrived before sunset on Saturday, hours before Ecuadorians flooded the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps.
“My only concerns at the time were not offending the people of Philadelphia or getting in legal trouble for putting the shirt on him,” Benavides said.
Gigio Benavides puts a custom Ecuador shirt on Rocky during last Saturday’s gathering at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.Gigio Benavides
When Benavides made it to the steps, the statue already had flags on, so he figured his shirt would only add to Rocky’s glory.
It wasn’t until hours later, when hate messages began pouring in, that he realized his mistake.
“Now everyone is saying I am bad luck,” Benavides said.
Amid the death threats and cruel messages, falling asleep proved a challenge. But he chose to look at the bright side: “Maybe Ecuador could break Rocky’s curse and set the city free,” he recalled thinking.
By Sunday morning, that hopefulness had turned into a need for survival. Yet, the full weight of the curse didn’t fall on his shoulders until he arrived inside the stadium.
Lincoln Financial Field, renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the World Cup, was an ocean of yellow, and many Ecuadorian influencers had already put a target on him by posting his name online.
By grace, his seat happened to be in a section where most of the spectators were not Ecuadorian. He sat between two men, one from Boston, the other from Brazil.
As Ivory Coast faced Ecuador, Benavides felt himself sweating, seeing the score fixed at zero. The continuous tie by halftime made him feel a dose of relief.
“I thought, if the curse is true, but we tied 0-0, then maybe we avoid it,” he said. “Either way, we must break it, because my life is on the line.”
One minute before the 90th-minute mark, Ivory Coast scored, leaving Benavides sobbing on his seat.
Ecuador forward Enner Valencia (center) and Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Agbadou (right) collide when the head the ball in the first half of the World Cup Group E soccer match in Philadelphia on Sunday.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
The hate worried Benavides, but nothing hurt more than feeling his good intentions had cursed his beloved team.
“I was crying so much that the guys from Brazil and Boston hugged me,” Benavides said. “They keep saying, ‘It’s OK man, it’s OK.’”
Feeling like a truck hit him, Benavides stayed seated as fans left the stadium wondering what would happen next. But the storm and the drops falling on his face didn’t allow for too much time for reflection.
By Monday morning, videos of Ecuadorians offering beer and Encebollado — a traditional Ecuadorian fish soup said to cure hangovers — to Rocky for him to lift the curse went viral.
Other Ecuadorian fans tried turning the curse to their favor and putting Germany’s shirt on Rocky, ahead of their match in New York on June 25. It’s a move the Pennsylvania Tourism Office said on their Instagram post that won’t work, because “the statue will know.”
Benavides himself did not attend, returning to plead with Rocky, but he did walk around the city before traveling to New Jersey, witnessing some of the fans himself.
“Seeing everyone so caught up in the game made me realize how much soccer helps us free ourselves from the heavy thing happening,” Benavides said. “So it’s OK if I have to take the fall, but let’s not forget to still have hope, and send good vibes to our team.”
Ecuadorian fans wait for their team to play Ivory Coast during the World Cup Group E soccer match in Philadelphia on Sunday.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
When Ecuadorian soccer content creator Leandro de Vera, aka DonFutbol, tied his country’s flag around the neck of the Rocky statue at the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps, he was unaware of the butterfly effect he had set in motion.
De Vera inadvertently triggered the “Rocky statue curse” — a jinx that comes into effect when a team’s fans dress the boxer in an opposing team’s gear — at an Ecuadorian fan celebration at the Art Museum on Saturday.
Earlier that day, two Ecuadorian journalists from Guayaquil’s Radio Diblu had warned fans not to put flags or jerseys on the statue.
“The people of Philadelphia say doing that doesn’t bring good luck and can make a team lose,” reporter Carlos Morales said Saturday, standing by the Rocky statue at the base of the Art Museum.
“The recommendation is to take a picture, put your flag next to it, but don’t put anything on him,” reporter Nico Rivera added.
In the past, multiple NFL fan bases have dressed the statue in their team’s colors prior to a matchup with the Eagles. Most went on to see their team lose. Most notably, Vikings fans wrapped a purple towel around Rocky’s waist before being blown out 38-7 in the 2017 NFC Championship. The Patriots, 49ers, and Commanders have fallen to the same jinx.
Philadelphia sports magic strikes again 🥊
The moment Ecuador fans put their shirt on Rocky, the outcome was inevitable 🫣 pic.twitter.com/IeqYaICygy
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 15, 2026
Ecuador was no exception. On Sunday, to kick off World Cup play in Philadelphia, Ecuador was defeated by Ivory Coast, 1-0, at Lincoln Financial Field, renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the World Cup. Ivory Coast’s single goal came in the 90th minute. Meanwhile, Ecuador could not catch a break. The team hit the post three times — becoming just the fourth team in World Cup history to do so and go on to lose.
Perhaps it was the emotion, naivete, or the fact that de Vera was standing on the Rocky statue at the top of the steps, rather than the bottom. But his excitement was apparent when he climbed the statue, screaming: “Friends, we are here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rocky is from Ecuador — Rocky Zambrano,” he proclaimed in Spanish, baptizing the Philly icon with a common Ecuadorian last name.
Ecuadorian soccer fans attend a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of their first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast, on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Ecuadorian Instagram commenters reacted in horror, letting the content creator know of the bad omen he had cast upon their team.
“Friends, it’s amazing how much I’ve been insulted for putting the flag on Rocky,” said de Vera in Spanish in a video posted to social media. “I look at my direct messages, and they’re dragging my mamita [mother] through the mud.”
After Ecuador lost, the hate worsened. One fan even approached de Vera to take a photograph with him just to caption it: “with the most insulted person in Ecuador.”
“It’s been tough since the game ended,” de Vera told The Inquirer in Spanish.
De Vera’s own superstitiousness has made the entire situation harder to deal with. He commonly wears different-colored socks to send his team good luck, and it hurt him personally not to have known about the curse ahead of time. If he had, he would have never touched the statue.
“I was just excited, and there was so much going on I didn’t even realize people were screaming ‘no’ to me until much later,” he said.
De Vera meant no disrespect to his team or to Rocky, he said. He just wanted to bring both Philly and Ecuadorian cultures together, hence giving the fictional boxer a temporary Ecuadorian last name.
“I saw the first movie, but by the time he was done climbing the stairs, I was so out of breath I couldn’t watch the other movies,” de Vera said jokingly. “Let’s wait until the World Cup ends and I will watch the rest. I owe it to the city.”
A young Ecuadorian soccer fan sits under the Ecuadorian flag during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of Ecuador’s first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
‘I think I messed up’
De Vera wasn’t alone in taking the blame.
Colombian social media star Beta Mejía, who is dating Ecuadorian influencer Alejandra Jaramillo, was also in the hot seat after videos of him doing the same went viral. As he wrapped the flag around the statue’s shoulders, shouts of “No” from Ecuadorian fans familiar with the curse rained down the museum steps.
Beta Mejía 🇪🇨 protagonizó un curioso momento en Filadelfia 🥊 al intentar colocar una bandera ecuatoriana sobre la famosa estatua de Rocky, pero su acción fue detenida de inmediato con un contundente “¡No, no, no!” 😅. pic.twitter.com/EZax5oWb0p
— ÚLTIMA HORA ECUADOR (@UltimaHoraEC_) June 14, 2026
“Parse, I think I messed up,” Mejía said in Spanish on a video Sunday before the match. “God, it’s me again, your favorite soldier; I didn’t know, I really didn’t know.”
Mejía blamed his actions on an act of kindness, saying he was trying to help a fan who had passed him the flag. After the backlash, he looked to reverse the bad luck. On video, Mejía lit four candles, praying for God to bless the Ecuadorian players with his blood.
“Fear nothing,” Mejía said, ending his video quoting Ecuadorian player Niño Moi (Moisés Caicedo) and rooting for the team to win.
Ecuadorian soccer fan Freddy Baquelo cheers during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, ahead of their first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Along with de Vera and Mejía, another fan dressed Rocky, attaching a custom Rocky jersey to the statue. He explained his rationale on an Instagram post:
“This is my good luck charm,” Gigio Benavides Peralta wrote. “Traveling for more than 26 hours, more than 5000km from Loja Ecuador to fulfill my promise to put the T-shirt on Rocky. For if I did that, Ecuador would win the World Cup… Let’s go Ecuador.. thanks to @maconsport and my Aunt Odi who helped me make the shirt.”
Despite the supposed Rocky curse, many Ecuadorians on social media seemed to think the bad omen did not come from the shirt or flags, but rather from having the president at the match.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa left the small South American country on June 11 for a four-day U.S. diplomatic trip meant to build bilateral relationships with the United States. He was captured at the game by FIFA cameras, shocking many Ecuadorians.
In a post-match video posted by Ecuador TV, Noboa was recorded leaving the stadium with his cabinet and a band of security guards.
Ecuadorian fans are heard in the background booing him, surrounding his convoy, calling him “salado” (an Ecuadorian word for someone with or who brings bad luck), and shouting that he “came for a vacation.”
Philadelphians react — and also blame Hard Rock Cafe ‘takeover’
Meanwhile, Philadelphia fans are having a bit of fun with the whole ordeal.
“Attention all teams visiting Philly, if you put your jersey on the Rocky Statue the ghost of Adrian will direct all of your shots towards a goalpost,” one wrote on X. “She and Paulie haunt the Linc, it’s a thing.”
As one fan pointed out on social media, Ecuador may have been jinxed by its fans flocking to the Market Street Hard Rock Cafe — just as Commanders fans did before their team’s 55-23 loss to the Eagles in the 2025 NFC Championship.
"Philadelphia has a cursed Hard Rock Cafe" is honestly just fun world building. Love this development. https://t.co/u5GN2objpJ
— one dozen rats at a keyboard (@PanasonicDX4500) June 15, 2026
A Commanders fan known as Tailgate Ted proudly proclaimed that his fan base had taken over the chain outpost prior to the 2025 conference championship game. At the time, the video received mass ridicule from the Philadelphia faithful, including Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott, as the restaurant has little cultural significance to the city.
“Oh no the Philly Hard Rock has fallen. Maybe next they will take over Applebees,” one Eagles fan wrote at the time.
On Saturday, Ecuador will face Curaçao in Kansas City before playing Germany in New York on June 25. De Valera is hoping to enact the Rocky curse again — this time for his benefit.
“We are not out of the World Cup; Argentina once lost [their first match] and still won the World Cup,” de Valera said. “But now that I know, I am going to buy a Germany flag for Rocky ahead of the game.”
Ecuadorian soccer fans wave their flags ahead of their first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday, June 13, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
After 11 years of marriage, there are very few things Aurora and Jamaal Brown don’t see eye to eye on. Then FIFA announced its first scheduled World Cup match in Philadelphia: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador.
“Ivory Coast is going to win and I will celebrate with some drinks,” Jamaal playfully teased his wife over the phone Saturday evening. “I am telling her, we are winners.”
The Jacksonville, Fla., resident grew up with friends from the Ivory Coast and recently found out through a DNA test that he has ancestry from the West African country, a genetic inheritance he takes seriously.
Aurora Brown and the family pick out a soccer jersey for dad at FIFA Fan Fest in Philly. Dad Jamaal had stay back home in Jacksonville, where he will be rooting for the Ivory Coast. But Aurora is sticking with Ecuador.Michelle Myers
As an Ecuadorian native, Aurora thinks Jamaal is wrong. But she is letting him “live in delusion” because she and their kids were able to travel to Philly to support the Ecuadorian team. Jamaal had to stay behind to take care of his grandma.
“If they weren’t playing against Ecuador, the whole family would be Ivory Coast fans,” Aurora said while attending FIFA Fan Festival at Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill on Saturday with her family. “We are going to buy him an Ivory Coast jersey for Father’s Day so he feels the love.”
Walking into the Lemon Hill park area, the mother of two was stunned to see so many Ecuadorian soccer shirts and flags, but no Ivory Coast representation.
Soccer fan Plinio Rada waves the Ecuadorian flag at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday ahead of Ecuador’s first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Waves of yellow, red, and blue paraded down Center City and into the arteries connecting with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. An unusual scene in a city with little Ecuadorian representation.
Both the Ecuadorian and Ivory Coast communities are considered small in the Philly metro area.
According to the Census Bureau, 15,415 Philly-area residents claim Ecuadorian ancestry. And numbers for Ivory Coast residents are hard to estimate because the bureau doesn’t tabulate them.
Maryland resident Michelle Diagne, 35, felt that absence.
The Ivory Coast native came to visit her Philly family from Rockville, Md. But realizing the tickets were too expensive, she and her two teenagers settled for attending fan fest and watching Sunday’s game at home.
While she had hoped to see more Ivory Coast fans in Philly, Diagne said just knowing the “Elephants” are playing in the U.S. fills her with pride.
“It makes me feel like we count,” Diagne said.
Ecuadorian native Magaly Moreira, 60, shares the sentiment. After decades living in New Jersey, she had never seen such a display of her country’s people.
“It fills me with happiness, pride, and so much joy,” Moreira said, Ecuadorian flags painted on her face. “It’s our opportunity for us and the players to represent Ecuador.”
She was one of thousands of Ecuadorians attending “El banderazo Ecuatoriano” outside the Art Museum. An event organized by group +593 (the country’s international calling code) that made fans put aside the traditional “Ecuadorian hour” to show up more than on time to support their team.
“Ecuador, Ecuador, Ecuador, vamos Ecuador,” resounded through the Rocky steps as the fans chanted, many sporting the Ecuadorian soccer jersey.
Defeating the heat, a crowd of all ages — from newborns to seniors — cheered and danced to the traditional highland dance “Zapateando Juyayay,” showcasing pride for their country, waving flags, and hugging each other with hope.
With a broken leg and dragging a wheelchair, Darío Galarza and his friend Marco Gallardo flew in from Ecuador two days ago to support their home team. They did not expect to see such an outpouring for their national team.
“The U.S. is accessible for us because we share the same currency and it isn’t far, but we didn’t expect to see so many people,” Gallardo said.
Ecuadorian soccer fan Demetrio Govrea watches fans during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
For Galarza, skipping the World Cup wasn’t an option. After undergoing surgery for his leg last month, he made it a point to be as recovered as possible to fly to Philadelphia.
“I guess it’s true, you will always find an Ecuadorian in every corner of the world,” Galarza said. “At least I knew it was going to be me because I wasn’t missing this for the world.”
As a man inside a guinea pig costume began a conga line around the Rocky statue, 77-year-old Ecuadorian Francisco Castellanos couldn’t help but reflect on the wonder of seeing so many Ecuadorians together and the weight of representation.
“There are so many of us here that now we must win,” Castellanos said. “Whatever it takes,” he added, as the crowd erupted chanting the Ecuadorian national anthem.
Family and friends gathered in South Philadelphia Thursday night to mourn William Schmidt, a Penn State student they all knew simply as “Billy.”
Spanning three blocks, loved ones and neighbors sang songs and held back tears on the corner of 20th and Durfor Streets, where a memorial to Schmidt near a fire hydrant where he was shot and killed was covered by candles, flowers, and balloons.
“He was my son, my best friend,” William Schmidt, Billy’s father, said, holding back tears. “How am I supposed to watch the Eagles play without him now? I am heartbroken without him.”
Father Kelly speaks at a vigil in memory of South Philly shooting victim Billy Schmidt Thursday, June 11, 2026, in South Philadelphia.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Trying to find comfort in the outpouring of love surrounding his son’s memorial, Schmidt said the crowd was a testament to Billy’s life and how good a person he was. But it’s not enough to outweigh a father’s pain.
“I’m thrilled he had such a great group of friends. He was a very candid person who never bothered anyone,” Schmidt said. “But I don’t have my son.”
One of those friends, Gino Russo, can’t even remember life without Billy, whom he’d known since kindergarten.
“Every time you call him, he was there,” Russo said. “Billy never let anyone down. I never saw him walk into a room not smiling and making sure everyone is smiling around him.”
Anna, Billy’s sister, called him “my best friend + best brother in one” in a message on a poster featuring lots of memories and a heart made with pictures of the siblings.
“Being your sister is the biggest honor,” she wrote. “Spending every Eagles game with you was so much fun, and you will always be watching the games with me now.”
Video captured on a home surveillance camera obtained and broadcast by 6abc shows a man wearing a hoodie throwing a cell phone down Durfor Street. Schmidt appeared to be chasing him and another man, who shot the Penn State student in the chest as he turned the corner.
Schmidt was pronounced dead at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center a short time later.
“This is senseless,” Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson told the crowd standing beside Schmidt’s father and sister, who held each other tightly.
William Schmidt was studying digital journalism and media at Penn State’s online campus.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Schmidt was a fourth-semester student studying digital journalism and media at the Penn State World Campus, the university’s online campus. Schmidt’s father told 6abc he was shocked his son chased the two men to retrieve his phone, which was found under a car on Durfor Street and turned over to police.
Philadelphia police are still trying to identify the two suspects, who were also captured in security footage both approaching the scene and fleeing the area following the shooting.
One suspect was wearing a light gray custom designed “KONFUSED” brand hooded sweatshirt. The other was wearing dark clothing and a light gray camouflage face mask, which he removed following the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide unit at 215-686-3334, or submit an anonymous tip by calling or texting 215-686-TIPS (8477). The city offers a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
On a hot Thursday morning, two Peco workers arrived in Conshohocken, tools in hand, to spray-paint brightly colored letters and numbers onto the sidewalk.
The symbols might look like gibberish; but they are the language of utility companies that let anyone doing work in the area know what utilities are underground.
The process starts whena business owner, contractor, or homeowner calls 811,the free Pennsylvania line that must by law be called before any digging work to prevent damage in utility lines.
The call center takes in the who, when, where, and whys of the job, and the corresponding utility companies make sure their lines are labeled in the area.
“If somebody is digging and they don’t know where our gas and electric lines are, there is a potential for property damage, loss of life, or injury — anything from cuts and scrapes to a fatality,” said damage prevention inspector Bryan Lloyd.
This marking is usually a one-person job, but if the digging spans miles, a team will be sent out.
In Conshohocken, the project near a plaza on a commercial stripis large enough for gas supervisor Michael Onimus to accompany Lloyd on this request.
The men got out of their truck and put on protective gear, white Peco helmets, and reflective orange vests.
Lloyd leaned into his truck, moving a 2½-foot-longblue bag with equipment out of the way, to reach a red metal marking wand that will later be loaded with spray paint to help him make the marks.
Inside the bag, Lloyd keeps radiodetection equipment capable of locating cables, pipes, and lines of multiple materials.
The machine has a box called atransmitter with two cables, anda current locator that works similar to the metal detectors folks use to scope the sand down the shore.
Lloyd creates a circuit connecting a red clip to the gas meter. A black grounding tool — which looks like a long metallic turkey baster— is inserted into a dirt patch to complete the circuit.
Lloyd pushes it into the soil, sending a current to detect precisely where the line was located.
The type of soil, amount of rock, and pipe materials can change how easily the locator can pick up the signal.
In this case, the locator picked up a signal about 20 steps from the meter.
Locator in the right hand and marking wand with yellow spray paint in the left, Lloyd walked around the perimeter of an empty restaurant, following the frequency and spraying yellow spots along the way.
The yellow color was not his choice. It’s part of a color-code system that lets contractors know which lines are in the areas they are digging. According to Onimus, each service has its own pigment:
Yellow: gas pipes
Red: electric lines
Blue: water pipes
Green: sewer lines
Luckily, paint isn’t the only way to mark things. In areas where painting would be difficult, like grass, they can place small flags with the same color-coding system.
Bryan Lloyd, Peco damage prevention inspector, marks the ground following the frequency of a gas line.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Once Lloyd has circled the area, he walked along the path of dots making long Z-shaped lines to connect them, before writing “½ P. GS. Peco” in yellow spray paint. This is called labeling the utility line.
“You have the size of the facility, which is half an inch in this case. The material type, which here is plastic, so P. Then you have the service, in this case GS for gas. And then Peco to let everyone know this is our facility,” Onimus said.
The order in which those elements are written down always follows the same pattern, but the information changes depending on how big the pipes are, type of line, utility company, or material they are made of.
For example, “S” means the line is made out of steel, while “CI” stands for cast iron, Onimus said.
With the gas all mapped out, it was time for the electric. The process is not much different, but the current-detection system does vary, since gas pipes are usually made of plastic, but electric lines have steel or metal inside the cables.
Like with the gas line, he follows the signal, this time leaving bright red dots on the ground.
The electrical current led them to a pole inches away from where digging is already taking place — markings of a light red spray from a different utility company already branded the concrete.
Picking up the frequency from the electric line, Lloyd drew what looks like a red H on the ground. The mark signaled multiple electrical lines were connected to the nearby street light post, three in this case.
PECO Damage prevention inspector Bryan Lloyd, writes “primary” on the ground signaling where the electric lines are.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Tracing back his steps, Lloyd drew more H’s in between the previously marked red dots. Before arriving back at the meter, he wrote: “Peco. Ele. Primary,” meaning a primary electrical line that belongs to Peco.
Twenty minutes later, their work in Conshohocken is wrapped up. But not before Onimus stressed the importance of calling 811 before any digging job, even gardening, no matter how small it may seem.
“People say ‘I was doing a couple inches,’ but before you know [it], you are 12 inches deep in the ground, and hitting a gas or electric line,” Onimus said. “If you hit a gas line, it may not necessarily injure you, but it could implicate a kind of injury to somebody else in the community, so calling makes sure everyone in the community is safe because we are all in this together.”
