Engagement Party Leads To Charges For 10 In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Ten people are facing charges of ignoring Gov. Phil Murphy's ban on gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak after Lakewood police broke up an engagement party on Spruce Street Tuesday afternoon, the Ocean County prosecutor's office said.

It is the ninth time police have had to break up a gathering in Lakewood since March 16. In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, which has sickened more than 18,600 people in New Jersey, more than 1,100 in Ocean County and more than 430 in Lakewood, Murphy first limited gatherings to 50 people, before banning them altogether on March 21.

The issue has been addressed repeatedly by Murphy at his almost-daily news conferences and is not limited to Lakewood. A party with more than 160 people in attendance in Newark on Monday led to summonses for all in attendance, New Jersey State Police Col. Patrick Callahan said Tuesday. And on Wednesday, the Ocean County Sheriff's Office issued Nixle alerts telling people to get off the roads and go home.

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But the repeated incidents in Lakewood have fueled anger and frustration that has led to every action being treated with suspicion. Deliveries of items for Passover preparations to the parking lot at the Lakewood BlueClaws stadium — an arrangement that has been in place for at least eight years according to authorities — has prompted dozens of inquiries and complaints to law enforcement, the Ocean County Health Department and to media outlets.

Callahan expressed frustration on Tuesday with the repeated incidents across the state.

"We've been talking about it for four weeks now," he said.

"I don't understand why people aren't thinking about themselves," he said, emphasizing again the need for social distancing to slow the spread of the virus, which has killed 267 people in New Jersey, including at least five rabbis in Lakewood. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

"If you're not going to think about yourself, at least think about our law enforcement," Callahan said. "One gathering is one too many."

"We have got to bring compliance to 100 percent," Murphy said.

There have been repeated messages within the Lakewood community, telling people to stop gathering, including orders from rabbis that have been blasted out across social media platforms.

The couple who hosted the party, Yaakov Kaufman, 47, and Eti Kaufman, 45, each have been charged with six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, one for each of the couple's minor children who were in attendance at the engagement party when police were called about 4:30 p.m., Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer said in a joint news release.

"This gathering was in violation of Executive Order No. 107 signed by Governor Phil Murphy on March 21, 2020, which bans gatherings of individuals, whether they be at weddings, parties, celebrations, or other social events," the prosecutor's office said.

Yaakov Kaufman and Eti Kaufman also were charged with violating any rule or regulation adopted by the governor during a state of emergency. The following people also were charged with violating any rule or regulation adopted by the governor during a state of emergency: Joshua Lichtenstein, 54; Syril Lichtenstein, 54; Brocha Lichtenstein, 22; Tzipora Wolfe, 24; Shmuel Kaufman, 23; Samuel Wolfe, 27; Michael Zimmerman, 99, and Ruky Zimmerman, 21, all of Lakewood.

"Prosecutor Billhimer and Chief Meyer extend their profound gratitude to the men and women in law enforcement who continue to work tirelessly on behalf of our citizens, enforcing the laws of the state of New Jersey in the face of extreme adversity during these very trying and perilous times," the news release said.

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