Leprecon, once known as one of the most rowdy and rambunctious bar crawls to come to Hoboken, yet again barely registered on the police radar with just six arrests on the day.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Yesterday, @HobokenPD responded to 377 calls for service over 20 hrs, compared to 2019 where it was 322 in 16 hours (this yr 18/ hr , ’19 was 20/hr). There were 6 arrests which will be detailed later, compared to 4 in ’19. There were 16 City Ordinance Summonses issued, 12 in ’19,” Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante tweeted.
He also noted that 32 moving violations were cited, down from 37 last year, with a dozen people transported to the hospital, as opposed to 22 in 2019.
In both 2018 and 2019, Leprecon yielded just four arrests in the Mile Square City.
Additionally, Ferrante noted that the St. Patrick’s Day themed festivities have calmed considerably since the parade was cancelled nearly a decade ago.
“2011 numbers need to be looked at from the last St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 555 City Ordinances issued for drinking and public urination compared to the 16 yesterday. The 166 taken to HUMC, there largest one day total ever, 12 yesterday. Then 34 arrests then compared to 6 yesterday,” he wrote.
The six arrests included two for driving while intoxicated and two for disorderly conduct.
He further stated that the event did not have any complaints of sexual misconduct, nor where any complaints filed against Hoboken or Union City police, the latter who worked overtime for the event.
Mayor Ravi Bhalla commended the efforts of Ferrante and the police department, apparently taking pride in the event continuing to “lose steam.”
“My administration has made a substantial effort to engage with a number of bar owners about ‘con’ events, and as a result, an all-time low of only four bars participated yesterday, and I thank those establishments for their assistance,” he said in a statement,
“And, this year, less police and financial resources were spent by the Police Department than before. I am very grateful to the members of the Hoboken Police Department, Hoboken Fire Department, Hoboken Ambulance Corps, Union City Police Department, and Department of Environmental Services for their efforts yesterday and working to keep our city safe.”