February 20, 2024

Horse gallops along I-95 early Tuesday before being corralled by police

The animal likely escaped from an urban riding club before entering the highway, authorities say

By Chris Compendio
PhillyVoice Staff

Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice

Police safely captured a horse that was seen running along I-95 in Philadelphia early Tuesday morning. They believe the animal likely escaped from one of the urban riding clubs in the city.

UPDATE (2:35 p.m. 2/20/24): The horse that was seen on I-95 early Tuesday morning belonged to the Fletcher Street Urban Racing Club, the organization confirmed. The racing club said the horse may have been intentionally released after closing hours, saying its stable appears to have been broken into.

"We are deeply concerned by this incident and believe someone may have deliberately tampered with our fencing or enclosures," the club said. "We take the safety and well-being of our animals very seriously and are committed to providing them with a secure and loving environment."

The original story is below:

Drivers on I-95 might have noticed an unusual commuter early Tuesday morning. A horse was spotted running on the highway well before sunrise.

The horse, which has since been captured and is now safe, was spotted running northbound on I-95 near the Girard Avenue exit around 4:45 a.m. The horse made it to the Port Richmond area before police cornered it with their vehicles at the bottom of the Allegheny Avenue off-ramp, FOX 29 reported. Police then tied the horse to a fence and gave it water.

As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drive.

This horse is safe and sound with a bucket of water after a run on I-95 this AM. Police were able to get the horse off the highway, currently waiting for a trailer in Port Richmond. pic.twitter.com/hcd7ksX2Zc
— Katherine Scott (@KScott6abc) February 20, 2024

According to police, the horse likely fled one of the city's urban riding clubs before making it onto I-95, 6ABC reported. It did not get loose from a trailer.

This horse, of course, was on the loose on I-95 and police were able to get it off the Allegheny exit. @KYWNewsradio @KYWRadioTraffic pic.twitter.com/GzWHV1xrLg
— Tim Jimenez (@TimJRadio) February 20, 2024

Strawberry Mansion's Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club picked up the horse in Port Richmond, transporting it away on a trailer, NBC10 reported. The club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Philadelphia Police Department made light of the situation with a tongue-in-cheek post on X, formerly Twitter.