Bridgewater Police Shut Down Unapproved Car Show Drawing Hundreds

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater police have been shutting down unapproved car shows — which are gaining popularity and have drawn more than 1,500 people throughout the township — before they get out of hand.

The most recent car show was broken up by police on Tuesday night in the parking lot shared by TJMaxx, Best Buy and DSW Shoes off Commons Way in Bridgewater.

Bridgewater police Lt. John Mitzak said "these events are gaining a lot of popularity."

Organizers host the unapproved shows at various locations and share the information on social media, drawing people from all over, Mitzak said.

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Several of these events have been held at the Bridgewater Promenade. Since these lots are semi-private property, police have been working with the owners and property managers to shut these events down.

"They are mostly peaceful events, but some at the Promenade have been huge with over 1,500 people showing up," Mitzak said. "It gets hard for us to handle, so we try to shut them down before they get out of control."

Gov. Phil Murphy has raised limits on outdoor gatherings, but as of July 3 the limit is 500. The limits are in place to enforce social distancing and reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

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• See more stories about New Jersey's coronavirus recovery.

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