PHILADELPHIA — A surveillance video posted by the last person to have driven “hitchBOT” in Philadelphia before it was dismembered appears to shows a man in an Eagles jersey kicking the hitchhiking robot sometime Saturday morning.

YouTuber Jesse Wellens, who posted the video on his public Snapchat account Monday, said it came from area surveillance tapes.

The video shows Elfreth’s Alley at 2nd Street, where Wellens says he left hitchBOT on a bench between 4:30 and 5 a.m. Saturday.

The footage appears to show a man kicking hitchBOT on the bench around 5:45 a.m., according to a date tag on the video. The assailant is wearing a No. 12 Eagles jersey – the number worn by Randall Cunningham.

Wellens did not immediately respond Monday when asked where the surveillance footage was taped or how he procured it.

Social media users Monday afternoon expressed suspicion that Wellens and Ed Bassmaster, another YouTuber who was with Wellens and hitchBOT early Saturday morning, are behind hitchBOT’s destruction, potentially all part of a prank. Wellens and Bassmaster denied this on various social media accounts.

Police have not been looking for anyone for the vandalism because no police report has been filed and its creators have declined to do so.

It’s unclear whether the footage Wellens shared shows hitchBOT’s final moments, or what may have been the first of a number of attacks.


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