Cecily Tynan Accused of Assaulting South Philly Woman at U2 Concert

Brittany Lewandowski has filed a private criminal complaint against Tynan, who was not arrested.


Left: Brittany Lewandowski and boyfriend Stephen Buchanan before the concert. Right: Buchanan tried to take a photo of Cecily Tynan in the Wells Fargo Center security office as a Philadelphia police officer attempted to block his view.

This is a developing story and may be updated at any time.

A 27-year-old woman from South Philadelphia has accused 6ABC meteorologist Cecily Tynan of assaulting her at a U2 concert at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night just after 9 p.m.

The woman, Brittany Lewandowski, a lifelong South Philadelphia resident, filed a private criminal complaint against Tynan, who is 49, with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office on Thursday morning. The DA’s office is refusing to release the contents of that complaint to the press at this time.

The Philadelphia Police Department confirms that police were called to investigate a report of assault involving a 27-year-old woman and a 49-year-old woman at the Wells Fargo Center around that time on Wednesday, but they will not confirm the names of the parties involved or release details because no arrests have been made.

Neither Tynan nor 6ABC management responded to multiple requests for comment.

The allegations first appeared on social media on Wednesday night, when Lewandowski’s boyfriend, Stephen Buchanan, posted the following photos and comment:

In an exclusive interview with Philadelphia magazine, Lewandowski laid out her version of the story. She says that she was standing up dancing at the beginning of the concert when she allegedly felt someone’s fingernails digging into her collarbone. When she turned around, a woman who turned out to be Tynan told her that she was trying to enjoy the concert and to “shut the fuck up.” Lewandowski claims that she told Tynan not to put her hands on her again. She says that Tynan continued to yell at her and curse at her, and security was summoned.

Cecily Tynan and husband in 2013. Photo by Hughe Dillon.

Once back in the security office, Lewandowski says she was told that the woman in question was Tynan. She says she had absolutely no idea who Cecily Tynan is.

“I’ve never seen that woman before,” she claims. “I didn’t know she was even on TV. I only watch Fox 29.”

Eventually Philly cops showed up to take the report. When they finished, Lewandowski says, she was told that no arrest would be made but that she could file a private criminal complaint with the DA’s office. (When police decline to make an arrest after receiving a report, citizens have the right to file a private criminal complaint with the DA, who then evaluates the complaint and decides whether charges are warranted.) Lewandowski returned to her seats and, she claims, Tynan was moved to a suite.

Lewandowski says that, while she’s upset that Tynan allegedly put her hands on her, her only injury is a scratch and that she has no plans to take any legal action beyond filing the private criminal complaint. But she’s also upset that she missed so much of the show.

“We all left with security right after the show began,” she says. “And we didn’t get back until the end. We missed pretty much the entire show.”