PETRI DISH

New Jersey Cops Spent Five Hours Breaking Up a 700-Person Rager

The homeowner and the two party organizers were arrested for violating an executive order that limits the size of social gatherings.

Police in New Jersey spent almost five hours breaking up a 700-person house party Sunday night, ultimately arresting three people. Officers discovered the large party—which attracted more than 100 vehicles—at 8:30 p.m. while responding to reports of a disturbance. The homeowner allegedly told officers that he had rented the house on AirBnB for the party. While the officers were attempting to break up the party, they received another call from a nearby home reporting that several revelers had broken in and were destroying property. Officers were not able to clear the two homes until about 1 a.m.

The homeowner, Yaakov Weiss, and the party’s two organizers, Patience Guanue and Alicia Hinneh, were issued summonses for violating an executive order from Gov. Phil Murphy that caps the size of social gatherings due to COVID-19. Another recent 400-person party also ended in three arrests and saw two officers get struck by a car.