Three teens were shot at Airbnb house parties in Philly. Neighbors say the properties are a nuisance.

Three teenagers, including a 13-year-old girl, were shot while attending separate parties at Airbnb properties in Philadelphia on Monday night — violence that neighbors on one of the blocks believe was preventable, and the result of ongoing nuisance issues at the properties.

Both properties are now under investigation by the city Department of Licenses and Inspections, which oversees short-term rentals, a spokesperson said.

The first shooting occurred about 10 p.m. Monday night on the 2200 block of Amber Street in Kensington. When police arrived, they found at least 100 young people gathered outside the property, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore.

Amid the crowd, officers found an 18-year-old, shot twice in the abdomen. They took him to Temple University Hospital, where he was in stable condition, recovering after surgery, Vanore said.

Detectives found eight fired shell casings in the street, he said. Police interviewed many of the partygoers, searched the property, and recovered multiple surveillance videos from outside, Vanore said. The motive remains unclear, and no arrests have been made.

Tyre Taylor, who has lived nearby since December, said that shortly before 10 p.m., dozens of teens had gathered in the street and were arguing, and a group of girls started fighting. Then, a black car drove up the block, and someone jumped out and started shooting, he said.

Chaos erupted, neighbors said, with the teens fleeing the house in a panic, many jumping off a second-floor balcony and climbing over fences of neighboring houses to get to safety.

”They were all hysterical,” said Elisheva Stern, who has lived in the neighborhood with her family for 10 years. One of the teens asked her for a cell phone after dropping it in her yard in the confusion.

Neighbors said that loud parties were regularly held at the house, and that it had become a nuisance.

”There’s been parties, but nothing like that,” Stern said. “Nothing violent.”

An L&I spokesperson said the address has a valid short-term rental license.

Fariba Nawa, the owner of the property, said she doesn’t live in Philadelphia but purchased the home in 2021. A man who acts as a property manager rents the house and oversees short-term rentals, she said.

A woman had rented the house on Monday night, saying she was visiting family, but she threw a party, instead, Nawa said.

The man who managed the rental, who declined to give his name, said that as the party grew more raucous, he called police for help, but they didn’t arrive until after the shooting. He said he’ll continue renting the property, but take stronger measures, such as requiring renters to provide copies of their identification, and doing away with one-night reservations.

An Airbnb spokesperson said parties are banned at its properties, and its safety team has removed the booking guests and deactivated the listings as they investigate.

“We condemn this senseless gun violence, and hope that the victims make a swift recovery. ... We are also in contact with the Philadelphia Police Department to offer our assistance with their investigation,” the spokesperson said.

Shortly before midnight Monday, there was a second shooting at an Airbnb party — this one in Brewerytown, on the 1700 block of North 29th Street.

Vanore said police arrived to find another crowd of young people leaving the property. Outside, officers found a 13-year-old girl, shot once in the right buttocks, he said.

A short time later, as detectives gathered evidence at the scene, a second victim arrived at Temple University Hospital in a private vehicle: an 18-year-old, shot once in the left leg.

Both victims, who police believe were inside the Airbnb party when they were shot, were in stable condition at Temple.

Inside the rowhouse, detectives found one fired shell casing, as well as a gun box and some ammunition, Vanore said. It’s possible the single shot that was fired struck both teens, who did not know each other, he said.

“We have two victims, one bullet,” he said. No arrests were made and no weapons were recovered, police said.

Neighbors on the block said the property has been a nuisance for months, with short-term renters frequently hosting large parties with revelers who play loud music and leave behind piles of trash. Monday’s party, they said, was the fourth in as many days, with dozens of young people gathering until about 4 a.m. eachtime .

One resident on the block, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal, said neighbors called the police multiple times each night, begging them to disperse the crowds. He said that police finally came Saturday night, but that officers seemed more worried about getting kids out of the street and back inside the house, rather than making them go home. When police left, he said, the party continued.

The neighbor said that on Sunday night, when the parties returned, police responded and dispersed the group, but that it took hours to do so because of the number of people.

Then, on Monday, he said, the party appeared louder and more chaotic than usual.

“I called 911 and said there’s going to be a problem. We need your help. You need to break this up,” he said.

A short time later, he heard a gunshot. He looked outside, he said, and saw kids streaming outside the house, jumping over the fences and running through the alleys in a panic.

The man said that it’s often families and tourists staying in the property, but that big parties are held once or twice a month. The noise and trash have ruined the quiet nature of the block, he said.

“We’ve complained to Darrell Clarke’s office, to L&I, to police, and yet again, inaction, inaction, and kids get shot,” he said.

An L&I spokesperson said the property does not have a valid short-term rental license.

Public records show the property was purchased by real estate investor Timothy Scruggs in early 2019. Scruggs could not be reached for comment.

Vanore said there’s nothing to suggest that the two shootings Monday were related.

Shootings during parties aren’t new, and cities across the country have grappled with violence at large gatherings at short-term rentals. Philadelphia began enforcing zoning regulations for Airbnbs and other short-term rental properties in January. In April, City Council held a hearing on the industry and its effects on Philadelphia neighborhoods, as complaints about nuisance properties have skyrocketed.

In Philadelphia last year, Vanore said, police saw a string of violent occurences linked to Airbnb parties. In response, police officials met with Airbnb’s security team to discuss how they could work together to prevent the problem, he said.

Vanore said police likely take the same approach and ask Airbnb to require property owners to alert police if there’s a party, especially when juveniles are involved.

“When they see large groups of kids, they need to notify us,” Vanore said. “We’re certainly going to go back to monitoring that a little bit closely.”

Staff writer Rob Tornoe contributed to this article.