Delcot Daily Times
Published: Thursday, July 15, 2010
By CINDY SCHARR, cscharr@delcotimes.com
CHESTER – Three diehard Celtic FC fans allegedly set off flares in the middle of a packed PPL Park Wednesday night, sending flames shooting into the air and endangering those around them, police said.
Flames from the flares could be seen shooting up from the middle of the crowd during the final minutes of the match.
“These guys decided to come down here and be fools,” said Chester Police Major Joseph Bail. “It was a mixture of childish behavior and brown bottle courage.”
The three were with a group of Celtic fans who traveled by bus to the Chester stadium from New York for the game against the Philadelphia Union, police said.
Sitting in the middle of the stadium, they set off larger railroad-type flares, Bail said.
“One kid had a burn on his arm, the other had a burn on the back of his shirt,” Bail said. “Luckily no one else was burned.”
One of the hooligans was very cooperative and was released from custody.
The unnamed man will be receiving a non-traffic summons in the mail.
Criminal charges of persistent disorderly conduct and recklessly endangering others were filed against James Andrew Shields, 29, of the Bronx, and Kevin John Diamond, 33, of Queens.
Shields and Diamond were arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Robert Blythe, who set bail at 10 percent of $50,000. The two were waiting to be transferred to Delaware County prison Thursday afternoon.
Two other people were stopped outside of the stadium for scalping tickets. They were warned and the tickets confiscated.
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