A white Philadelphia Eagles fan who was caught on camera flipping a car in celebration of the team’s Super Bowl win earlier this year will not face criminal charges, and could even have his criminal record expunged.
John Rigsby found himself in police custody after footage of him and several others flipping an SUV on Broad Street went viral on social media, PhillyMag.com reported. The 20-year-old, who is the son of longtime Villanova basketball announcer Robert “Whitey” Rigsby, has since entered into a special probationary program that would allow him to completely avoid jail time for his actions.
Rigsby was charged with rioting, criminal conspiracy, reckless endangerment of others and criminal mischief in the February 4 incident, according to the magazine. His dad posted his $2,00 bail soon after.
The young man has entered into what’s known as an accelerated rehabilitative disposition (ARD) program, despite the fact that two of the charges held against him are felonies and could have carried some jail time.
Under the probationary program, defendants can essentially avoid prosecution so long as they adhere to the terms of their probation. Ousted University of Hartford student Brianna Brochu entered a similar program after she was charged with criminal mischief for rubbing bodily fluids on her Black roommate’s belongings. Once the probation is complete with no mess-ups, both Rigsy and Brochu could have their arrest records wiped clean.
But that’s not all. In addition to avoiding jail time, Rigby got his monthly probation fees waived for the duration of his time in the program, PhillyMag.com reported.
The lenient punishment is a slap in the face to many of the young men from Baltimore and Ferguson who were charged and sentenced to jail for damaging property during fiery protests sparked by the killings of Black men by police.
No other arrests were made in the car-flipping incident.
