Cops identify alleged wedding brawler
The one party goer who was arrested and held overnight by police after an all-out brawl at a Society Hill wedding has been identified as Matthew Sofka, 26, of Westfield, N.J.
Cops identify alleged wedding brawler
The one party goer who was arrested and held overnight by police after an all-out brawl at a Society Hill wedding this weekend has been identified as Matthew Sofka, 26, of Westfield, N.J.
On his Facebook page, Sofka says that he likes Bud Light and "The Hangover II." Sofka spent much of his Sunday recovering from his own hangover in a prison cell, according to police.
Sofka was charged with assault on police, inciting a riot and related offenses for his part in a massive melee involving two wedding parties and police early Sunday morning at the Society Hill Sheraton.
Two other men, both in their late 20s, were give summary citations for disorderly conduct. Their names have not been released.
A man reported to be the uncle of the bride died of a heart attack following the fight. It's unclear if he was involved in any of the altercations.
Hotel guests estimated that between 50 and 100 cops showed up to control 50 to 100 party goers from two separate weddings who were fighting each other and amongst themselves for unknown reasons. Police and hotel guests said the fights appeared to be fueled by alcohol.
Max Schultz, 15, of Camp Hill, captured part of the melee on a video he posted to YouTube which, as of this morning, had more than 532,000 views.
In the video, a police officer can be seen hitting Sofka three times with his baton. Sofka was then Tasered off camera, according to police.
I think PA should charge $200 for anyone from NJ to cross into PA.— Bruno Sammartino- And Jersey should do the same for all the Philly people that cross the bridge to buy gas and booze. It would also make the highways to the Shore more pleasant on friday afternoons. — 50_buick
- Silver lining - The usual racist idiots on here won't comment on this story.— PhillyGuy77
- s sitting next to the fan who threw that ice chunk, had bet him he couldn't reach the field with his throw. Rendell ADMITTED it to Inky writer Steve Lopez....and then became Mayor and Governor. In a way, you gotta love it.— bobby17
- Class act. Go to a wedding, get drunk on the free booze, then start a riot. Did the cop hit him three times? Too bad! The drunk brawler could have used a couple more whacks.— DonQ
- South Jersey is a black eye on the black eye that is New Jersey.— b3n222
- Westfield is in the northern part of NJ. Might want to learn some geography there genius.
- @bstew74, how many successive times do you hit someone with a baton before you stop to see if they will respond? The one cop struck a guy in a dark suit 6 times before they disappeared behind the pillar.The subject in the dark suit can then be seen lying face down on the floor. It is so easy for a cop to use excessive force and get away with it. The swings that cop took would make Ryan Howard proud.— 50_buick
- Jersey Shore wannabees.— JusWonderin
- The cool thing about the pervasiveness of the Internet is that this guy will always have an entry on google showing that he's an idiot and a crimnal. if he wants that big job in a few years, the employer will google him and see this...so good luck with that, dude. Hope the brawl, plus ruining your frieds/relatives wedding, was worth it.
— Owatagoofiam - And THIS is why people who actually live in Center City don't go out to eat during Restaurant Week - it brings out nothing but Jersey Trash, loud college students and bargain hunters who should stay home or in their crappy neighborhood diner. (Yes, I know this and the weeding "bash" are totally unrelated, just thought I'd get this in here!).— PhillyDanny
- And THIS is why people who actually live in Center City don't go out to eat during Restaurant Week - it brings out nothing but Jersey Trash, loud college students and bargain hunters who should stay home or in their crappy neighborhood diner. (Yes, I know this and the weeding "bash" are totally unrelated, just thought I'd get this in here!).— PhillyDanny
Stupid is as stupid does...- What political party are those thugs that attack helpless people in the city of Philadelphia? Was "wilding" a suburban invention?
I hate Jersey like most Pa people but for a city person to make fun of suburbia is ironic.— Manny Trillo - What political party are those thugs that attack helpless people in the city of Philadelphia? Was "wilding" a suburban invention?I hate Jersey like most Pa people but for a city person to make fun of suburbia is ironic. (HTML deleted)— Manny Trillo
