Mischief Night is Philly's license to misbehave
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Time for a little mischief — but please keep the mayhem to a minimum.
Why it matters: Mischief Night isn't just a Jersey thing; it's a Philly thing, too.
The big picture: Tonight, pranksters are expected to be on the prowl — Silly String, cartons of eggs and rolls of toilet paper in tow — as part of a regional rite of passage on the eve of Halloween.
- Some police departments started imposing curfews to deter mischief-makers, but there's a tacit understanding — and cultural acceptance — that a little ding-dong-ditch only hurts the feelings of your anal-retentive neighbors.
Zoom in: In the past, Philly has experienced a spike in vandalism, but police didn't respond to Axios' request for recent data to see if the trend has continued.
Yes, but: Social media has taken harmless acts and supercharged them into something more sinister.
Case in point: A man was arrested earlier this year after police said he terrorized Center City joggers while donning a Chucky-style mask.
- Apparently, he did it all for the Gram.
💭 Isaac's thought bubble: Growing up in New Mexico, every day was Mischief Day. My neighborhood had oversized lots, and I'm lucky we didn't get into more trouble after shooting a BB gun into a woman's backyard.
- She banged on her window to warn us to stop. Minutes later, we thought we heard sirens and took off running. I jacked up my right wrist trying to jump over my friend's tarped pool the day before I was taking the SAT.
💭 Mike's thought bubble: I'm a Northern Jersey native, so I'll plead the 5th here on details but will at least say that Mischief Night shenanigans hold a special place in my heart.
The bottom line: Kids should still get to be kids.