A South Philadelphia neighborhood was awoken early Monday morning by horrifying, fake screams blared from speakers as part of a sound test for a civil case. The unexpected and terrifying event left residents shaken and demanding answers from city officials and the legal team involved.
The loud shrieks rang out for nearly an hour, starting in the early hours, shocking those who were unaware of the test’s purpose. Residents described the experience as deeply disturbing.
“It was so upsetting, like very loud shrieking screams,” said Rachel Robbins, a local resident, speaking with WPVI. Another resident, Allison Sacks, described the screams as “blood-curdling,” noting there were “four or five” distinct screams repeated during the test.
The sounds were part of a court-ordered test connected to the case of Termaine Hicks, who was wrongfully convicted of rape in 2001. Hicks spent 19 years in prison before DNA evidence exonerated him, leading to the vacating of his conviction by a judge in 2020. The test was meant to recreate the sound environment of the crime scene, but residents were not informed ahead of time, causing widespread panic.
While many residents expressed sympathy for Hicks, they were outraged by the method used in the legal test. “I feel for the plaintiff in this case,” said Sacks, but she criticized the approach. “I think there are other ways to prove the case. The lawyer didn’t take into consideration the impact it would have.”
Following numerous complaints, the federal judge overseeing the case demanded an explanation from the plaintiff’s attorneys. The judge has also asked them to justify the necessity of the sound test and explain why they shouldn’t apologize to the neighborhood.
Philadelphia’s solicitor’s office, which had an attorney present for the test, released a statement saying they were unaware the test would involve simulated screaming. They indicated that had they known, they would have sought a court order to stop it, but the early morning timing made intervention impossible.
The New York law firm representing Hicks, Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffman & Freudenberger, LLP, issued an apology to the community, stating: “We conducted a test in connection with an important civil rights case and did not intend to cause harm to anybody. We understand why residents are upset, and we want to sincerely apologize.”
While the law firm expressed regret, they declined to share more details about the test due to the ongoing litigation. Residents, however, are still awaiting further explanations and assurances that such events won’t happen again.
