A loudspeaker in a South Philadelphia neighborhood blasted fake screams as part of evidence for a civil case against the city, a controversial move that woke residents up and left them terrified.
Locals woke up to a series of loud screams that echoed through the area early Monday morning.
Unaware that the screams were part of a test, residents were filled with panic and fear.
“It was very disturbing, like very loud screaming,” said Rachel Robbins, a South Philadelphia resident. WPVI.
A speaker played fake screams in a South Philadelphia neighborhood as part of evidence for a civil case against the city.
Resident Allison Sacks (left) called the scream “creepy.” Rachel Robbins, a neighbor, called the incident “very disturbing.”
“It was a bloodcurdling scream,” added Allison Sacks, a neighbor.
Sacks then noted that there were a series of “four or five” screams. He said the event lasted ‘a good hour’.
According to the city prosecutor’s office, the screams were part of a sound test in the Termaine Hicks civil case.
In 2001, Hicks was convicted of rape at 15th and Mifflin streets.
He served 19 years for the crime until a judge overturned his sentence in compliance with a request from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in 2020.
In 2001, Hicks was convicted of rape at 15th and Mifflin streets. DNA evidence later exonerated him.
DNA evidence had revealed that Hicks was not the rapist and questions abounded about whether or not the evidence had been planted.
“I feel sorry for the plaintiff in this case,” Sacks said. “I think there are other ways to prove the case.”
The resident directed her frustration at the attorney who requested the evidence. Sacks said she was upset that the attorney didn’t “take into consideration the impact it would have.”
Robbins noted that “there’s such a long list of reasons why it’s unethical.”
Upon receiving complaints from Robbins and other residents, the federal judge overseeing the case demanded an explanation.
Early Monday morning, locals woke up to a series of loud screams that echoed through the area.
“I feel sorry for the plaintiff in this case,” Sacks said.
He ordered the plaintiff’s attorneys to show why they needed to conduct the scream test and why they should not be required to apologize to people in the neighborhood.
In an official statement to Action NewsThe Philadelphia attorney’s office, which had a lawyer present for the sound check, said they would have sought an injunction to prevent it if they had known it would involve false shouting.
The statement added that the city “had limited control and advanced knowledge of the testing conditions.”
He further noted that when the city’s “lawyers became aware of the use of simulated screams,” they did not intervene “because a necessary court order could not have been obtained first thing in the morning.”
Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffman & Freudenberger, LLP, the New York law firm representing Hicks, issued a statement apologizing to residents.
In an official statement to Action News, the Philadelphia attorney’s office, which had an attorney present for the sound check, said they would have sought an injunction to stop it if they had known it would involve fake screams.
“We conducted a test in connection with an important civil rights case and had no intention of causing harm to anyone,” the statement explains.
“We understand why residents are upset and we want to sincerely apologize to the community and everyone affected.”
They continued: “We feel terrible about the negative impact on the community.”
But the law firm refrained from revealing more information about the test.
“We cannot speak with more specificity about the details given the ongoing litigation,” the statement concludes.
