Police Shut Down Weekend Party at Essex House Restaurant

A Friday night party at Essex House Restaurant on Northfield Avenue in West Orange was shut down by police after the venue breached its 500-person limit and ignited complaints among neighboring residents, authorities said. 

West Orange Police Chief James P. Abbott said the restaurant exceed capacity by 70 people with an additional 300 people waiting to get inside. 

He said police closed the restaurant shortly after 11 p.m. Friday. Though no injuries were reported and no arrests were made, Abbott said "there was a large disruptive group outside" that were urinating in public, leaving beer bottles strewn in the residential area and parked "all over the place."

Abbott said a promoter was called in by the restaurant to host Friday's party but it was not until Friday afternoon that the venue called to inform the police department and hired two police officers for security. 

"They've been closed for quite a few months … but they have not notified us of their intention to reopen," he said.

Abbott said the venue has its licenses and approvals for a restaurant, but that a nightclub is not its intended use.

He said police continue to investigate the incident and are planning a meeting with the establishment's owner.

"When people bought their homes, they lived next to restaurants," said Abbott. "If these places want to begin to become nightclubs, that's not going to work."

The party was promoted through social media, with mentions of #EssexHouse exploding on the Twitter scene Friday night. 

A worker at the restaurant said he could not comment on the incident because he was not management. He said, though, the restaurant, while closed, still hosts occasional private parties and events. 

Essex House Restaurant will soon be revamped, after the to construct a strip mall and day care center on the property. 

The owners of the venue could not be reached for comment.