A PTA-sponsored hayride in a quiet New Jersey town dissolved into chaos as police were forced to intervene after hundreds of unruly teens began fighting in a local park and causing havoc.
The Collingswood Police Department shared in a Facebook post that the family-friendly Haunted Hayride in Knight Park required police to intervene after an estimated 200+ juveniles were dropped off at Knight Park in Collingswood, New Jersey.
“The event was quickly disrupted by fights breaking out, largely between arriving youths, and unruly behavior,” the department said.
Authorities said that the out-of-control behavior began shortly after 8:20 p.m. on Oct. 19, with the young adults “running recklessly through the crowd and cutting in line for the hay ride.”
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Autumn is here! It’s time to take a fun hayride! (iStock)
Police officers dispersed the rowdy kids to “ensure the safety of the families attending the event,” police said.
However, it was decided there was no safe way to continue the hayride event, so the police shut the Halloween event down.
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But, the night was not over for the wild teens. Police said that 50–70 juveniles took over local gas station, Wawa.
“As officers were in the midst of dispersing the park crowds, a call was received reporting an incident at Wawa on Haddon Avenue, involving 50–70 juveniles taking over the store,” police said. “Officers were able to assist Wawa with dispersing the group of juveniles who were stealing items and causing a disturbance.”
Wawa was also forced to shut down to prevent any more damage, police said.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital recommends reading and explaining posted hayride rules to your children, listening to operators and staying seated throughout the ride. (Virginia Tourism Corporation)
The chaos continued along through residential yards, police said.
“When officers arrived at the park, they found that roughly 80 juveniles were engaged in a massive fight and were met with resistance from youths punching, kicking and pushing past the officers to continue fighting,” police said. “Some juveniles broke away from the main group and began running through nearby residential backyards.”
Police officers eventually dispersed the crowd and restored order. They did not make any arrests, the department said.
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In a Facebook post, event staff at the Collingswood Haunted Hayride event said that the “evening was beyond what we could have expected.”
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“Unfortunately, as everyone saw and realized, a lot of the evening was beyond what could have been expected, but with the feedback and awareness we will review and organize to determine a way to move into next year,” the hayride wrote on Facebook. “We appreciate your support and without it our event could not happen.”