Philly Man Dressed as Tree Shuts Down Mall, Gets Arrested

Man In Custody After Reports Of Suspicious Person Inside Visitor Center Garage

The Visitor’s Center on Independence Mall closed for a short period of time Sunday while police investigated a suspicious man. Authorities say a man wearing a full camouflage suit inside the Visitor’s Center quickly drew the attention of police.

Philadelphia Police Lieutenant Joe McGarrey says they caught up with him inside a vehicle in the underground parking garage. “The car was full of trash,” he said. “So as a precaution on the safe side, we cleared it with K-9, cleared it with the bomb squad.”

Nothing dangerous was found, but the man was taken into custody for questioning. No charges have been filed.

“Obviously, it’s the Visitor’s Center, Independence Mall,” McGarrey said. “We’re going to take every precaution necessary.”

The building has re-opened.

Whew, saved from a man dressed like a tree, which, by the way, is perfectly awful camouflage in a parking garage; light colored khakis and light long sleeve shirt would be much more effective.  On the other hand, it may be just be easier to blend in by acting like a human being; there's plenty of them to mingle with.

I wasn't aware that Philly had a dress code that made camo illegal. Is this the new normal, anything that could be associated with guns or hunting is now grounds for official harassment?