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The party was billed on Instagram as a “mansion party” in the Whispering Hills section of Jackson Township. The Sunday night party was held as a celebration of Liberian Independence Day and included free food, alcohol and a twerking contest.
It took about five hours for state troopers and police from Jackson and six other townships to break up the massive throng early Monday.
Yaakov Weiss, 40, who rented the Airbnb home -- and two party organizers, Patience Guanue, 23, and Alicia Hinneh, 22, -- were issued summonses after police shut down the gathering about 1 a.m. Monday in violation of state coronavirus restrictions. Jackson police said.
Partygoers parked more than 100 of their cars outside the party in the Whispering Hill section of the township, Jackson Police Capt. Steven Laskiewicz said,
Officers responded to the home on Mill Pond Road at about 8:30 p.m. and were told by area residents that a group had rented a house to host the party.
Police contacted Weiss, who said he rented out the home, was hosting a large party and left when “an estimated 200 additional people arrived at the residence.”
The department continued to receive 911 calls from nearby homeowners who said there were “disturbances and trespassing.”
All on-duty Jackson police ultimately responded as neighborhood roads became gridlocked as more partiers arrived, police said.
“It took until approximately 1:00 am for the officers to clear the residences of the party attendees and all of the vehicles from the neighborhood without any further incidents,” police said.
Officers from several police departments and the New Jersey State Police assisted in clearing the party and directing traffic from the neighborhood.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office was asked to pursue charges against Weiss and the party organizers for violating the governor’s executive order on gatherings during the COVD-19 outbreak. New Jersey currently mandates that all outdoor gatherings have fewer than 500 people and indoor gatherings have fewer than 100 people.
New Jersey has logged 179,812 positive coronavirus cases since the onset of the pandemic in March and 13,884 deaths. Ocean County has had 10,238 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 942 deaths, according to the state Health Department.
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