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NJ Cops Charge 10 People at Engagement Party During Virus Stay-at-Home Order

Police said attendees included a 99-year-old man and six children, all in violation of the governor’s ban on all social gatherings to slow coronavirus.

Ten people who were at an engagement party Tuesday afternoon in New Jersey were charged for violating the governor’s executive order that prohibits social gatherings amid the coronavirus crisis. “Responding officers found a group of individuals, including children, on the front lawn and inside the residence,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer said in a statement. There were six children at the party as well as 10 adults, including a 99-year-old man. Gov. Phil Murphy has banned “gatherings of individuals, whether they be at weddings, parties, celebrations, or other social events,” and ordered all residents to stay home and only leave for essential reasons to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Earlier Tuesday, the governor held a coronavirus briefing, during which he said “We’re not happy,” referencing reports of other social gatherings in previous days. “I assume there’s some amount of ignorance. The more swift, visible action that is taken… the more quickly we can bring this non-compliant behavior to zero.”