November 11, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Philadelphia police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a viral video that shows an officer shoving a man outside a home in West Philadelphia.
Police are investigating a viral video that shows an officer shoving a man outside a home in West Philadelphia on Thursday. The incident appears to have stemmed from a dispute over social media posts, with the officer saying on the video that the man he shoved had "liked" his daughter's photos on Instagram.
In the roughly 40-second footage, a Philadelphia police vehicle is shown stopping in the area of 54th and Arlington streets, 6ABC reported. An officer steps out of the car and approaches a group of men as one of them films.
"Don't come on this property," one man tells the officer.
"You want to 'like' my daughter's pictures?" the officer responds, approaching one of the men.
"Nobody 'liked' your daughter's picture, bro" the man says.
The video then shows the officer shove the man and start to walk away before noticing another man filming him.
Cop confronts a guy for liking his daughter's pictures
by u/bigbusta in PublicFreakout
"Record all you want," the officer says, repeatedly swatting at the cellphone until it falls to the ground.
Philadelphia police confirmed Friday the department is investigating the incident, but authorities declined to provide any other details. Police said Wednesday their investigation is ongoing.
"The Philadelphia Police Department is aware of the video and the concerns raised regarding the interaction," a spokesperson said. "The circumstances surrounding the incident are being reviewed. As such, we are unable to provide further comment at this time."
The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, the union that represents Philadelphia police, declined to comment Wednesday, citing the open investigation.
Jerald Bridges, the man who was shoved, told 6ABC the video depicted was one of two interactions he had with the unnamed officer last Thursday. The first happened outside a store nearby in the area of 54th and Berks Street.
"He told me to move, and I told him, I said, 'I'm waiting for my food,'" Bridges told 6ABC. "He said, 'You're not moving fast enough, I'm gonna give you a (code violation notice).' I said, 'Alright.' When I started to walk off, he grabbed me and put me in handcuffs."
Bridges said the officer gave him a ticket and put him in the back of a police cruiser, where Bridges filmed a portion of the first interaction. Video obtained by 6ABC appears to show the same officer swat at Bridges' phone.
Bridges told 6ABC he never liked photos of the officer's daughter. He said his friends found the officer's Instagram account and commented on the officer's Halloween costume in the hours after Bridges was ticketed.
"He had a clown outfit on for Halloween, and they said, 'That outfit suits you,'" Bridges told 6ABC.
Bridges claims no one commented about or disrespected the officer's daughter.
In a separate interview with NBC10, Bridges claimed the officer threatened to shoot him.
"I'm scared to be near him," Bridges told NBC10. "He said he was going to put a bullet in my head. I don't want to be near him. I'm scared. That's the honest to God truth."
