Sylvester Stallone Surprised High School Students On Field Trip At 'Rocky' Statue In Philadelphia

Dec 19, 2019

One group of high school students got the surprise of their lives as they got to meet Sylvester Stallone while making a quick stop at the ‘Rocky Balboa’ statue near the Philadelphia museum of arts.

This week, students from the Eastside High School's Culinary Arts, Hospitality, and Tourism School (CAHTS) were heading back from a field trip when they made a stop at the Rocky Balboa statue near the Philadelphia Museum of arts.

"When the students first arrived at the museum, they went to the statue and somebody said, 'Hey, you just missed Sylvester Stallone,'" the school’s Principal Edgard Nieves said in a statement obtained by CNN. "Nobody believed he was there, and then two black SUVs pulled up."

That’s when according to the students, Sylvester Stallone stepped out of one of the vans and made his way to the statue as students cheered him on.

The actor posted a video of the encounter on his Twitter account.

“And moments later, suddenly appeared some of the best fans in the world! I’m a lucky man thanks to you guys! #KeepPunching,” he captioned the post.

The video showed Stallone jump onto the statue as the crowd gathered around. He then shouted, “Hands up," and encouraged the students to pose with their fists up in the air, just as his character ‘Rocky Balboa’ did when he was triumphant.

One of the students, Maria Rodriguez-Mendez, told CNN she has been a fan of the actor since she was a child.  

"It was a shocking moment, really," she said. "It was like reliving my childhood."

As Stallone made his way to hope back into his van, Darin Johnson, an instructional assistant, says he told the actor that they were a group of high school students which prompted him to come back to take some selfies.

"Some people say you should never meet your celebrity heroes because you'll be disappointed," Johnson told the publication. "But in this case, I'm glad to have met Mr. Stallone."

Have you ever had an encounter like this with a celebrity? Let us know in the comments - and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!