No more mayhem

In the wake of a bedlam-filled evening at April’s Middlesex Borough Fire Department Carnival, officials are strategizing to prevent a future recurrence.

Police, firefighters and other officials met recently for what is being referred to as a “debrief.” Mayor Jack Mikolajczyk commented on Tuesday, June 25, but gave few specifics on what was discussed.

“Everyone’s interested in keeping the carnival going,” the mayor said at that night’s Borough Council session. “But we do have to review the problems. What’s it going to take to make sure that everyone is safe?”

The carnival held its annual late-April, weeklong run at Mountain View Park. But on Friday night, April 26 a combination of factors led to mayhem that spilled into nearby streets.

Carnival organizers sold between 5,000 and 6,000 tickets for Friday night, according to police. Via social media, teens from throughout the area were urged to congregate at the carnival that evening. 

When they could not gain quick entry to the carnival due to overcrowding, some teens began jumping and knocking down perimeter fencing. Police on the scene ordered the carnival closed at about 8:30 p.m. It was scheduled to run until 11 p.m.

Mayhem broke out on nearby streets and businesses. Fights erupted in some roadways, blocking motorists from traveling through. State Police and law enforcement from numerous nearby towns were called in to help the Middlesex Police Department restore order.

Photos and videos of the unruly behavior were posted that night on social media. Police said the next day that some teens had used mass transit bus service to arrive in Middlesex from other locales.

The carnival was shut down early again the following afternoon, Saturday, April 27. Police took that precaution after a message showed up on social media urging teens to again “linkup” at the carnival and create “content” for social media channels.

Mikolajczyk was in line, waiting to gain entrance to the carnival, when police shut down the event on April 26. In an interview the following day, he said it appeared to him the carnival-goers who caused problems were out-of-towners.

According to Mikolajczyk, various issues are on the table as officials await additional meetings about the carnival’s future.

“We’re weighing, do we change the hours? Do we raise the fee and increase the ticket price for the rides?” the mayor said. 

“This was pretty eye-opening for the fire department,” he added. “They did not realize what was going on in the streets at that time.”

Mikolajczyk called the carnival’s effect on nearby side streets a “safety hazard.” Motorists could not proceed down roadways blocked by fighting teens. 

Access was also affected by cars parking on both sides of certain streets. “If there was a fire, there was no way emergency vehicles were getting around there,” the mayor said “It was totally blocked up.”

Mikolajczyk said there will be “a couple more” closed-door meetings about the carnival. Both the firefighters and MPD have changes they’d like to see made, he said, but did not give specifics.

Reminder

Subscribe to Inside – Middlesex. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It is absolutely free.

Visit Inside – Middlesex on our new Facebook page.