Leprecon: Hoboken St. Patrick's Boozefest Ends In 15 Arrests

Hoboken, NJ – Hoboken once again experienced the boozy revelry known as Leprecon, along with the requisite arrests.

According to the Hoboken Police Department, officers issued 54 city ordinance summonses during this year’s Leprecon, an annual St. Partick’s Day pre-celebration organized by several local bars and restaurants.

The annual event, held on the first Saturday of March and retitled “The Official Hoboken Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration,” is not sponsored by the City of Hoboken, police stated in a news release.

ARREST NUMBERS

Authorities responded to 432 calls for service between 8 a.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday, down slightly from 459 calls last year, police stated.

The 54 summonses were mostly citations for drinking in public, with some being issued for urinating in public, disorderly house parties, and disorderly conduct.

The city saw 93 violations issued during last year’s celebration, police said.

Police only issued 16 motor vehicle moving violations, a positive indicator in light of the amount of alcohol consumed during the weekend.

“Traffic was not a major problem [because] many [commuters used] public transportation,” Hoboken Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante stated in a release.

A total of 35 people were transported to hospitals, down from 39 last year, and like last year, there were no reports of sexual assaults, police stated.

However, arrests jumped from 11 to 15, including an alleged assault on two officers committed by a former running back for Delaware Valley University football team.

• See related article: Ex-College Football RB Plows Into Cops During St. Patrick's Assault: Hoboken Police

According to posts that Ferrante made to his Twitter account, incidents officers encountered during the weekend included:

• Multiple students from the Stevens Institute of Technology were taken to the hospital
• A rooftop party on Washington Street and an unruly house party on Court Street
• A disorderly and “overcrowded” house party on Park Avenue
• A 28-year-old New York man punched his hand through a window on Hudson Street
• A 24-year-old from Edison was arrested for criminal mischief after writing all over a wall on Washington Street
• A 25-year-old from Bernardsville was arrested for committing aggravated assault on a nurse at Hoboken University Medical Center
• A drunk disorderly person spit in the face of Hudson County Rapid Deployment Officer on Newark Street
• A house party on Washington Street was shut down and got a $2,000 disorderly house summons

“I am disturbed by the repeated behavior that is occurring on these types of themed events, and have several measures that I am exploring with my command staff that I feel needs to be taken,” Ferrante said.

“I will not tolerate having any of our officers injured, for the purposes of a few to make a financial profit at the expense of our residents, and for the purposes of promoting deviant behavior attached to various holidays, which results in citizens and officers being hospitalized,” Ferrante added. “I am proud of the efforts put forth by our officers who did everything possible to keep this city as safe as possible throughout the day and night, and thank all of the assisting agencies who helped us put 200 officers on the streets.”

Agencies assisting the Hoboken Police Department over the weekend included the Union City Police Department, North Bergen Police Department, Westfield Police Department, New Jersey Transit Police, Port Authority Police and the Hudson County Rapid Deployment Force.

• See related article: 18 People Arrested During Hoboken LepreCon 2014

Sign up for Patch email newsletters here.

File photo: Hoboken police arrest a person during the 2012 Leprecon event.