‘Stay out of the city’; Philadelphia police warn of another car meetup, deter participants with arrests, citations
According to Inspector Raymond Evers, long-term investigations into another 14 car meetups since "Project X" last year have yielded 60 car seizures and more than 50 arrests.
In anticipation of a mayhem-filled car meetup this weekend, Philadelphia police are warning organizers, participants, and spectators to stay away — with threats of arrests, citations, confiscated cars, and upped insurance costs.
“We know you’re coming out this weekend,” Deputy Commissioner Michael Cram, who oversees patrol operations, said at a Friday news conference inside police headquarters. “If you come, we’re going to grab you. We’re going to take the cars, [they’re] going to sit in one of our lots and rot.”
Cram added: “Stay out of the city. Find something more productive to do.”
Police have heavily cracked down on illegal car meetups, gatherings of muscle-car aficionados that shut down public streets to spin doughnuts or race, creating a nuisance and danger to public safety — since “Project X” in September 2024 — one of the largest such events on the East Coast.
According to Inspector Raymond Evers, long-term investigations into an additional 14 car meetups have yielded 60 car seizures and more than 50 arrests. Meanwhile, patrol officers have written more than 2,000 citations, Cram said.
» READ MORE: The massive Philly car meetup was dubbed ‘Project X’ online. One driver described the mayhem of the night.
During the news conference, authorities were simultaneously searching the homes of two brothers who police say are involved in planning the car meetup this weekend. Earlier Friday, police also arrested Daniel Clark, of Darby, Delaware County for allegedly financially profiting off car meetups, and David French, of Philadelphia, for reportedly organizing a recent meetup. French, 22, also faces charges in connection with Project X.
French’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment by phone Friday afternoon; it was not immediately known whether Clark had an attorney.
Officials did not provide specifics about the possible car meetup this weekend, but Cram said historically these crowds are mobile. During Project X, multiple streets were taken over the evening of Sept. 21, 2024, and into the next morning. Police pursued the cars in what they described as a game of “Whac-a-Mole,” arriving just in time for people to rapidly disperse, then move to a new location.
» READ MORE: Wild car meet-ups don’t just happen in Philly. They’re revved up on social media.
In addition to arrests, criminal charges, and fines up to $2,000, Philadelphia police may also report organizers and participants to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nationwide insurance clearinghouse, causing hikes in insurance rates.
“They’re dumb; they’re not smart,” Cram said. “Maybe the fact that they’re losing their cars, they’re getting arrested, their insurance is going up — maybe at some point that hits them.”
Evers said, “The city is taking this very, very seriously. … And the Police Department will take a very strong stance to stop this illegal activity.”