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January 29, 2025
Tyler Sabapathy, an 18-year-old Temple University student who majored in exercise and sport medicine, died Tuesday of injuries he sustained from falling from a light pole during the Eagles' NFC title celebrations in Center City on Sunday night.
An 18-year-old Temple University student died Tuesday after sustaining critical injuries during Sunday night's celebrations of the Eagles' NFC championship.
A statement from the university acknowledged Tyler Sabapathy's death, but did not detail how he died. Several news outlets reported that he fell from a light pole near City Hall during the postgame celebrations. A video of a man falling spread on social media before being taken down.
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"The loss of a promising 18-year-old man like Tyler is both tragic and traumatic," President John Fry and Vice President of Student Affairs Jodi Bailey said in the statement. "There are no words that can make sense of it, and the entire Temple community mourns his passing. Our hearts go out to Tyler's family, friends, classmates and all who knew and loved him."
Sabapathy, a freshman from Toronto, Canada, was a student at Temple's College of Public Health, majoring in exercise and sport science. He was a member of the gymnastics club team and had received more than 120 medals in provincial, regional and international competitions. Temple's statement said this experience made him fascinated with injury prevention in athletics, which is how he chose his course of study.
"He no doubt had a bright future ahead of him, and it is so tragic that we will not be able to see how he would have made his mark on the world," Fry and Bailey said.
Temple encouraged students to seek support at its counseling center and is offering assistance for employees, according to the statement.