Phillies honor family of fallen officer Christopher Fitzgerald
Before the top of the fourth inning of Friday’s home opener against the Cincinnati Reds, a sold-out Citizens Bank Park stood still as the Phillies honored a fallen hero.
The family of Sergeant Christopher D. Fitzgerald received a standing ovation as they took the field to face the crowd of over 44,000.
On the night of February 18, 2023, Sgt. Fitzgerald, a Temple University police officer, was killed in the line of duty nearby campus while investigating reports of carjackings and robberies.
The tragedy shook the Delaware Valley, sparking outrage and more calls for change amid an increase in violent crime. In the days and weeks following Sgt. Fitzgerald’s death, the area got to know him through stories of his commitment to helping the communities most impacted by gun violence.
The area also got to know Sgt. Fitzgerald as a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. He was a “4-for-4 fan,” according to Sgt. Fitzgerald’s father Joel, a veteran law enforcement officer himself. He loved Allen Iverson, hated the Cowboys and had the Phillies “P” tattooed on his right biceps. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm were his favorite Phillies players.
Phillies managing partner John Middleton wrote a letter expressing his sympathies and invited the family to the home opener. The ovation in the fourth inning was a reminder that the entire city is behind them.
“It was amazing. I was in awe,” Sgt. Fitzgerald’s wife Marissa said. “He deserves every single bit of it. It meant a lot to us because he is a true hero.”
Hours before that moment, the Phillies gave Sgt. Fitzgerald’s family jerseys with Christopher’s badge number on the back. Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and Rob Thomson greeted the family and offered their condolences during batting practice.
The most profound gift the family received that day, according to Sgt. Fitzgerald’s father Joel, was time. Castellanos and Schwarber spent time with Sgt. Fitzgerald’s four children, Giselle, Julian, Armani and Autumn, in the batting cages. Schwarber delivered a handwritten note to the family. Middleton spoke with the family for about 45 minutes. They were greeted by Phillies legends Charlie Manuel and Larry Bowa. Castellanos told them to take down his wife Jessica’s contact information so that Sgt. Fitzgerald’s children can hang out with Nick’s nine-year-old son Liam the next time they attend a game.
“That’s what being a representative in the city of Philadelphia and extending yourself as part of the community is about and these guys just lived it out right in front of our eyes,” Joel said.
It all hits home for Schwarber, whose foundation, Schwarber’s Neighborhood Heroes, advocates for first responders. He’s the son of a former police chief and his sister currently works in law enforcement. He acknowledged that growing up, he could have been in the situation Sgt. Fitzgerald’s kids are in now and wants to do everything he can to support the family.
“Hopefully, it’s something that they will remember and hopefully it can help ease whatever they’re feeling and kind of give them that little break,” Schwarber said. “It’s heartbreaking. When you’re able to have those kids in the cage and see them smiling and see Mom smile, things like that, that’s what you live for.”
Castellanos wasn’t surprised at all that his son Liam was eager to connect with Sgt. Fitzgerald’s children. Very few nine year olds have a feel for the kind of impact they could make, but Liam is an exception. When Castellanos was a member of the Reds, he wore a drawing Liam made of his Dad to the All-Star red carpet event in 2021. It went viral and the Reds began selling the t-shirt in the team store. Proceeds from the shirt’s sales went to Liam’s hand-picked charity, The Dragonfly Foundation, a nonprofit that helps kids and families dealing with pediatric cancer.
“He’s much further along than I was at nine years old, I’ll tell you that,” Castellanos said, “but he has a pretty good grasp on things like that. I kind of push him to the forefront of it so he has a little bit of no choice but to embrace it, but he does a great job and he did a great job today.”
It was an unforgettable day, but the sad reality is sports will never be the same for the Fitzgerald family. Sgt. Fitzgerald took his wife Marissa to Sixers games on date nights. He planned on taking Marissa to the home opener.
If anything, the family hopes Sgt. Fitzgerald’s death brings about much needed change in the City of Philadelphia. They want people to respect law enforcement and provide information on those that commit violent crimes and make the city unsafe. Sgt. Fitzgerald’s father Joel also called for accountable leadership from city officials.
“These days, folks aren’t feeling safe in this city and nobody is taking any kind of accountable steps to making this city safe and we don’t throw our hands in the air when we give up,” Joel said. “That’s ridiculous and unacceptable, so let our son’s sacrifice be the catalyst for the kind of change that we want to see in this city. We want to see real solutions to crime and we want to see leadership. Accountable leadership that steps up and says enough is enough. We don’t see that right now and we’ll speak out on that and we’ll continue speaking out on it until there is significant change.”
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