N.J. State Police: 61 Arrested, At Least 10 Troopers Hurt In Concert Clash At MetLife Stadium
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New Jersey State Police say 61 people were arrested and at least 10 troopers were hurt Sunday when crowds clashed with police outside a major hip-hop concert at MetLife Stadium.
Police said Monday that the majority of the arrests at the Hot 97 Summer Jam concert occurred when people tried to climb fences and push past security.
The troopers closed the gates to restore order and then briefly reopened them to let people with tickets in, but "they were closed again when non-ticket holders attempted to push their way in,'' police said.
NJ State Police: 61 Arrested, 10 Troopers Hurt In Concert Clash At MetLife Stadium
They said some in the crowd then began throwing bottles and trash at police and security before additional troopers were called in to assist. Police used noise generators, pepper spray and tear gas to try to get people to clear the area.
Cellphone video captured glass bottles being thrown across the packed parking lot, CBS2's Ilana Gold reported.
"First they used pepper spray and people were running, and then that's when the police started to come out with their riot gear," witness Crystal Clark told 1010 WINS' Rebecca Granet.
The stadium had to be put on temporary lockdown and an armored tank came in trying to force spectators to leave the property.
NJ State Police Reviewing What Sparked Concert Clash At MetLife Stadium
Videos and photos posted by people outside of the stadium on social media showed fights between concertgoers and police in riot gear blocking the entrance. Images also showed police using large military-style vehicles to try to disperse the crowds.
"Barbaric — the way they treat our people is like animals. If there was another concert this would've never happened," said one concertgoer.
"People been standing out here for over three and a half hours just trying to get into a concert that they paid for," added fan Aaron Martin. "I'll never do this again."
NJ State Police Reviewing What Sparked Concert Clash At MetLife Stadium
Col. Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said troopers "took the appropriate steps to restore order to what was a brief and volatile situation."
"A small group of highly disruptive people ruined this concert for many others. They created a danger to ticket-holders, stadium employees, and troopers on the scene," he said in a statement.
Captain Stephen Jones told WCBS 880's Jim Smith 11 troopers were injured.
"Some of that was from the objects being thrown, including the bottles. And there was some other bumps and scrapes and relatively minor injuries," he said.
Most of the charges filed were for disorderly conduct but also some counts of assault and weapons possession, Smith reported.
N.J. State Police: 61 Arrested, At Least 10 Troopers Hurt In Concert Clash At MetLife Stadium
State police said that 51 people were arrested at last year's event and as a result more troopers were on hand Sunday.
Emmis New York, which owns Hot 97, said in a statement, "When fans realized tickets were not available at the box office, a small number of people created an unsafe environment, and for the safety of all guests, the New Jersey State Police were on scene to disperse the crowd. The gates were closed at that time. No further entry was permitted into the event."
It said that refunds will be offered for ticket holders whose tickets were not scanned.
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