Police say two gatherings left juveniles and young adults roaming city streets for hours
WOODBURY, NJ – Two pop-up parties turned into hours-long problems on Woodbury streets, where police said crowds poured out of homes, refused orders to disperse and generated dozens of charges tied to disorderly conduct, supervision failures and other alleged violations.
The Woodbury City Police Department detailed the two incidents Friday, saying officers encountered large gatherings on High Street on Aug. 15 and Prince Street one week later on Aug. 22.
Police said the first incident began when officers learned of a pop-up party taking place on the 100 block of High Street.
Officers checking the area found a large group gathered in the backyard of a residence where loud music was playing, according to the department.
Police monitored the gathering until the host began removing attendees and ending the party.
The situation then shifted from the residence to the surrounding streets.
A large number of people, including several juveniles, left the property and began gathering at different locations throughout Woodbury, police said.
The department said the groups created quality-of-life problems that included alleged trespassing, assaults and harassment. Police described the crowd as disruptive and said members failed to cooperate with officers’ commands.
Officers spent the next several hours making arrests, relocating people and attempting to move groups out of the affected areas, according to the department.
The fallout extended beyond people who had attended the gathering.
Police said multiple people were charged in connection with hosting the High Street event, including three adult residents of the property and the landlord.
The charges stemming from that gathering included 24 counts of failure to supervise, 24 counts of disorderly conduct and 24 counts of breach of peace.
Four counts of maintaining a nuisance property and eight occupancy standards violations were also filed, according to police.
One week later, officers encountered another pop-up gathering, this time on the 400 block of Prince Street.
Police said officers learned of the Aug. 22 party, located the property where it was being held and began monitoring the situation.
As more people arrived, police determined the size of the gathering was creating a public inconvenience and a safety concern for the surrounding community.
The party was shut down, but the police response continued for hours.
According to the department, a large number of juveniles and young adults remained nearby and attempted to gather at other locations in the area.
Police said those groups were disorderly and did not cooperate with officers.
Officers then spent several hours trying to get juveniles to arrange transportation so they could leave the area, according to the department.
The Prince Street gathering has already resulted in charges against the homeowners, while police said additional juvenile charges are pending.
Current charges connected to the second event include two counts of enabling or offering alcoholic beverages to minors, four counts of disorderly conduct, four counts of breach of peace and two counts involving parental responsibility.
Police did not identify the people charged in either incident in the department’s account.
The department said it considers pop-up parties an ongoing issue when adults permit the events to take place on their properties.
Police said enforcement can extend to homeowners, renters and landlords when large gatherings create public problems. People found to have assisted in promoting such events may also face charges, according to the department.
The two weekends left Woodbury police confronting crowds for hours and property-connected defendants facing a lengthy list of charges.
Key Points
-Woodbury police said pop-up parties on High Street on Aug. 15 and Prince Street on Aug. 22 resulted in crowds of juveniles and young adults gathering in city streets for hours.
-Charges tied to the High Street gathering included 24 counts each of failure to supervise, disorderly conduct and breach of peace, along with nuisance-property and occupancy allegations.
-Homeowners were charged following the Prince Street gathering, with additional juvenile charges pending, according to police.
