Hoboken’s annual SantaCon bar brawl saw nine Santas and/or elves arrested, and another 70 received summonses. Furthermore, patrons who purchased event bracelets were left irate when bars stopped honoring them in the early afternoon.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Hoboken Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante told Hudson County View that the annual holiday binge drinking event yielded nine arrests this year: four for disorderly conduct, two for aggravated assault and three for driving while intoxicated offenses.
The first arrests of the day occurred outside of Cadillac Cantina around noon for disorderly conducts – where one individual had the distinction of being being the only person to get arrested for the same thing twice, Ferrante said.
Another unique disorderly conduct arrest took place on Court Street about an hour later, where some patrons were disgruntled for not being allowed into popular bar One Republik.
In response, they then pulled an our of service fire alarm on Court Street, prompting the Hoboken Fire Department to show up, police said.
Another bizarre situation occurred at 79 Hudson Street, a small coffee shop, where three heavily intoxicated Santas took money from the tip jar. Ferrante explained that once one of the Santas “came to consciousness,” he explained to police it was a misunderstanding and they gave the money back.
The store owners opted not to press charges, explaining that they were just happy to get the tip money back, authorities said.
In what Ferrante described as the most violent altercation of the day, a man was knocked out cold on Washington Street near Rita’s Italian Ice (121 Washington Street). He said that police are currently unsure what the altercation was about but detectives are investigating the incident.
Hoboken police also set up a driving while intoxicated checkpoint (DWI), with the most notable arrest being of a man who was caught with two ounces of marijuana inside his vehicle, according to Ferrante.
Ferrante said throughout the course of the day, where calls for service were the largest between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., 60 to 70 motor vehicle summonses were issued with about 30-40 coming via the DWI checkpoint and the other 30-40 coming via patrols.
Ferrante also noted that calls for service were fairly consistent from noon until 2 a.m., though police response was not as dramatic as it was for Halloween and Leprocon – the annual St. Patrick’s Day bar crawl.
As a whole, Ferrante referred to SantaCon as “an unnecessary, unsanctioned event in the city that causes problems the weeks before Christmas.”
“While half of the money people pay for event bracelets is supposed to go towards the Hudson County Boys & Girls Club, I don’t think that justifies people coming to Hoboken and putting other visitors and residents at risk.
Ferrante also acknowledged that Hoboken police are looking into a multitude of patron complaints about the event promoter – who hasn’t yet been identified – opting not to honor prepaid bracelets at 2:15 p.m.
As the comments on their Facebook post about no longer honoring wristbands indicated, irate patrons took to the Facebook event page to voice their disgust about the way things were handled this year.
I smell something. It’s smells like a LAWSUIT.
On that Facebook page I read they are giving refunds but don’t tell you how to do it.
It would be good if people knew how to get their money back.
If Ferrante enforced laws in Hoboken on any other day, there would be just as many arrest of the Hoboken entitled who regularly violate laws, harass and prevent others from safety and access of Hoboken streets, parks and sidewalks. Hoboken has always had numerous events and and alcohol licenses. I found the few Santas I encounter well behaved in the evening hours of midtown and uptown Hoboken.
The promoters should be found their names addresses, pictures made public so everyone knows who they are and made to pay for everything.
This has to be a misprint 70 motor vehicle violations?
No misprint.
But the beginning of article says 3 DUI
At a check point, legally there would be no other motor vehicle violation
? Maybe I’m misunderstanding you but I believe that distinction is arrest vs. summons.
A summons and arrest are the same thing. If you receive a DUI summons that is an arrest. A summons is a complaint for arrest.
And if they were caught drinking and driving, and there is a differentiation between the two in this this article, does that mean they were allowed to continue to drive? Seems unlikely and definitely against protocol
Maybe I don’t understand how the police would allow an intoxicated driver continue? And any other moving violation should not be given at a check point
That’s one of the only situations where they’re the same thing. Someone’s going to jail for a parking light being out? Tinted windows? Not going to argue, I know you’re trolling everyone.
The guys in charge of this event are, max bamberger and eric goldstein
Honestly I wasn’t “trolling” and I don’t “troll everyone”, I have never even commented on this site before! Additionally, my comments were even the definition of “trolling” as I even said “maybe I don’t understand”
But you honestly think that 40 people got tickets for non consequential things like Windows and taillights? The state has ruled DUI checkpoints as constitutional for the purpose of public safety, to get drinks off the road. If the police issued that many non-moving violations (as they didn’t observe them drive at the checkpoint so can’t be a moving violation) it would undermine this constitutional argument. I WOULD THINK- just talking out loud here.
My initial “misprint” comment was not to be condescending. Shock that that many ppl drive out of Hoboken drunk. (Remember a checkpoint doesn’t pull over every car, there is a required formula) I looked over many reports of 2015 NJ roadblocks and the average (even after that country Concert in sept that had the checkpoint) Approximately 800 people were “checked” and 50 “summones” with 9 arrests. So then statically, that would mean that there was approx same checked. How many ppl drive out of Hoboken sat night then?!?
Hes actually pretty funny!