Police have identified a man who they say assaulted officers during a post-wedding-reception brawl caught on tape at a Philadelphia hotel early Sunday morning.
Police said he's Matthew Sofka, 26, of the 500 block of Edgar Road, in Westfield, N.J.
Sofka faces counts of aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and riot, police said.
Cell phone video was shot from a hotel balcony by other guests awoken by the commotion around 2 a.m. The footage shows mayhem in the Society Hill Sheraton's lobby. Several wedding parties were staying at the hotel Saturday night.
Wedding guests say two brothers got into a fight. Something was thrown, and it hit another person. That's when the chaos erupted.
FOX 29's Steve Keeley reported Monday morning that one man is seen on the video failing to calm down, go down or be wrestled down, even after being restrained by several officers. He spent the wedding night in jail.
As all of this was unfolding, an uncle of one bride from Bucks County stumbled outside, suffered a heart attack and died despite attempts to resuscitate him outside the reception and at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
He was identified as Vincent Sannuti. Relatives said it was his 57th birthday.
His niece and her new groom are now reported to be skipping their honeymoon to attend the uncle's funeral.
Several wedding guests ended up in the emergency room after the fight. Three landed in jail, police said.
Investigators did not announce any other charges Monday morning.
"Philadelphia Police Department expects that there will be more arrests in the future (not today)," the police department stated in a news release. "This is an active investigation."
Wednesday, June 19 2013 8:19 PM EDT2013-06-20 00:19:58 GMT
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:11 PM EDT2013-06-19 22:11:57 GMT
If you hated going to traffic court in Philadelphia, you won't have to anymore! Today, Governor Tom Corbett signed a bill abolishing traffic court,effective immediately.
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A main line mascot gets the boot. At issue: cultural sensitivity.It's an issue that's been playing out on athletic fields all over America: re-thinking team names and the mascots that go with them.
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 5:47 PM EDT2013-06-19 21:47:02 GMT
City administration officials came before a City Council committee with orders not to talk about the building collapse, but that didn't stop council members from raising questions.
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Six of the people accused in one of the largest public corruption cases in our area's history plead guilty today in court. 18 people total are accused of bilking the Bensalem school district.
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 4:49 PM EDT2013-06-19 20:49:38 GMT
Everyone remembers Cabbage Patch Dolls. They were those cherub-faced dolls that had yarn hair. A fan of those dolls is making and selling wigs to look exactly like the toy!They come in all shapes, sizes
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Matthew Sofka, 26, of the 500 block of Edgar Road, in Westfield N.J. (Courtesy: Philadelphia Police Dept.)
