New Jersey Police Break Up 300 Person Party amid Pandemic, Arrest Party-Thrower

Videos posted by partygoers showed a large gathering at the home in the Garden State, where social distancing measures were completely ignored

Photo: Getty

New Jersey Police broke up a 300 person house party last weekend that violated the state's mandates on indoor gatherings amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and arrested the host of the event.

According to NBC4, the party took place on Saturday, Aug. 1, and videos posted by partygoers showed a large gathering at the home in the Garden State, where social distancing measures were completely ignored.

Howell Police noted that numerous partygoers were seen "urinating on people's property and vehicles," but added that most guests complied with cops upon their arrival and that the investigation into the "pop up" party at the home on Wilson Drive in Ramtown remains ongoing.

"Most of the attendees are compliant," Howell police said in a statement shared on Facebook at the time. "Others are hesitant and are directing their anger towards the host who charged admission."

The statement added that the event was so big that township authorities needed the help of police from neighboring areas, including the Ocean County Sheriff's Office and New Jersey State Police.

Howell Township Police Department

Tashay Knight, the alleged party-thrower, was charged with "recklessly creating a risk of widespread injury or damage," Alpine police said in a press release provided to BuzzFeed News.

Per the report, he was also issued multiple summonses, including one for violating the governor's executive order that mandates hosts to require that their guests wear face coverings and practice social distancing amid the current health crisis.

Knight, 45, turned himself into police on Friday and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 26. According to the outlet, it was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

The party was advertised on Instagram and was named the "Real Big Drip 5," NJ.com reported. The event charged $30 for women and $40 for men.

Howell Township Police Department

Police said they had received ongoing noise complaints about the residence and had previously responded to another event held there earlier in July, dubbed BikiniPalooza, NBC4 reported.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy addressed the house party during a press briefing on Monday, where he told reporters, "I am aware only generally of the party in Alpine, and I've not liked what I've heard. I understand it was more outside than inside, but based on the description, there was close congregation and not a lot of face covering."

In July, Murphy signed an executive order that increased outdoor and indoor gatherings, but this was decreased to 25 people on Aug. 3.

"In order to protect public health, we are retightening the restriction on indoor gatherings due to uptick of COVID-19 cases in New Jersey," Murphy said. "We cannot stress enough that large and crowded indoor gatherings, where social distancing isn’t being practiced and face masks aren’t being worn, are not safe. Until there is a significant decrease of COVID-19 cases, these restrictions will continue to be in place."

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