A homeowner and two party organizers have been charged after state and local police spent several hours shutting down a house party that drew more than 700 people Sunday night to an Airbnb rental.
Police responded to a home on Mill Pond Road in Jackson, NJ, at around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Residents in the neighborhood told police that a home on the street had been rented to a group having a gigantic party that was causing a disturbance.
A coronavirus pandemic-related executive order by Gov. Phil Murphy limits the size of outdoor gatherings to 500 people and indoor gatherings to 100 people.
The homeowner, Yaakov Weiss, told officers that he had rented the 3,700-plus square foot residence through Airbnb to two people who were holding a party there. Weiss said he left the home after about 200 guests had arrived.
An Airbnb spokesman told NBC News that the host's rules prohibit parties.
The party organizers, Patience Guanue, 23, and Alicia Hinneh, 22, of Newark, were issued summonses for violating the governor's executive order.
Police say there were 100 vehicles parked in the area when they arrived. Homeowners in the neighborhood called 911 several times reporting disturbances and trespassing.
"As the crowd grew in size, this took the effort of all of the on-duty Jackson police officers who responded as the roads into the neighborhood were shut down because more partygoers were still arriving," police said.
Officers from surrounding towns, plus the New Jersey State Police responded to help clear the area, which took until 1 a.m.
New Jersey has reported a slight rise in statewide coronavirus cases over the past five days.
More than two dozen lifeguards from two Long Beach Island recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus after attended social large gatherings this months.
Photo: Getty Images