Washington Commanders fans heading home after Sunday night's win over the Philadelphia Eagles encountered an unexpected delay when they found themselves unable to leave a Metro station in Virginia.
Dozens of riders appeared to be stuck inside the Vienna Metro station after the final Orange Line train arrived early Monday morning.Videos posted to social media showed a chain securing an outside exit, with one rider expressing frustration as he and other passengers tried to get out.
The incident happened after the Commanders defeated the Eagles 27-10 on Sunday night. One fan who posted video of the situation said his usual hourlong Metro trip from Northwest Stadium took about twice as long, leaving him at the station after 1 a.m.
"I may never Metro again," the rider said in a post on X that has received more than 600,000 views.
How long were riders locked inside Vienna Metro station?
According to Metro, riders were unable to exit the station for less than 10 minutes.
The last Orange Line train arrived at Vienna station at 1:39 a.m. Monday, and the final passengers were seen leaving the station's mezzanine around 1:43 a.m., according to the transit agency.
Metro said the station manager had locked the outside gate to prevent additional customers from entering while conducting a final station check for the night.
When the station manager saw the remaining passengers leaving the mezzanine, the manager followed them and allowed them to exit through the outside gate.
Metro said its preliminary investigation found that the manager's actions were intended to help close the station for the night, not prevent passengers from leaving.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How long were Metro riders locked inside station after Commanders game?
