Toronto teen hurt while celebrating Eagles win in Philadelphia dies from his injuries

A Toronto boys’ school is mourning a former student who died after falling from a street pole in Philadelphia as fans celebrated the Eagles’ victory in Sunday’s NFC championship game.

St. Michael’s College School says Tyler Sabapathy, who graduated from the school last year, was “an exceptional student-athlete, a talented gymnast, and a friend to many within the SMCS community.”

“His joy for life, spirit, and outstanding pursuit of excellence inspired us all,” the school said in a statement, adding his death has left the community “heartbroken.”

The school said it would continue to honour Sabapathy’s memory and offer support to its community in the days to come.

Philadelphia’s Temple University, the school Sabapathy was attending, announced the 18-year-old’s death in a statement posted on its website Tuesday.

Sabapathy was an accomplished gymnast who was a freshman studying in the school’s College of Public Health, where he was majoring in exercise and sport science.

Witnesses have said Sabapathy climbed to the top of the pole before he fell onto the sidewalk and struck his head. He was taken to a hospital where he died on Tuesday.

Sabapathy had been active in gymnastics for most of his life and earned more than 120 medals in provincial, regional, and international competitions, the statement said. He also was active with Temple’s gymnastics team.

The teen previously said he decided to study exercise and sports science because of what he experienced in his training as an athlete.

“After sustaining many injuries throughout my career, I have begun to understand the human body in a new way. Throughout my training, I have learned about the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that are important for proper movement,” he said in a post on St. Michael’s website announcing his choice of university.

At the time, Sabapathy said he planned to compete in five gymnastics events at Temple.

He grew up training and competing with the East York Gymnastics Club in Toronto, training for 20 hours a week for the better part of a decade, he said in the statement.

-with files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.