Police Recount Newtown Resident's Pool Party After Social Media Fueled Rumors Of Crime

NEWTOWN, PA — After rumors swirled about a raucous backyard pool party containing violence, prostitution and guns drawn, Newtown Township police and officials say they only found evidence of a zoning violation.

At a local meeting, Newtown Police Cpt. John Newell recounted the events at a large pool party held Saturday night at a resident's home.

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False rumors of criminal activity linked to the party have spread through social media, according to Newell and township officials at Monday's Newtown Board of Supervisors meeting.

• Related: 'Very Large' Pool Party Draws Controversy In Newtown Twp.

The party at 4126 West Chester Pike was promoted on social media. But the posts didn't contain the party's address or town, which was only revealed two days beforehand to those who paid to attend.

There are flyers for plenty of similarly run events on social media. So finding out about this event beforehand would have been difficult for police, Newell says.

"Even if we had some kind of 10-man data-processing center to look at every ad on Facebook or Instagram for those parties," Newell said, "we wouldn't know it was in Newtown unless we paid every one $40 (this party's admission cost) to get the actual location."

Police only received one call about the party — an anonymous complaint about a possible fight in the Drexel Lodge Park parking lot and that somebody may be bringing mace to the event, Newell said. The park is nearby, and many attendees parked there.

Responding officers concluded there was no fight in the park. In front of the home, they met with private security hired for the party, who were "professional and cooperative," Newell said.

The homeowner took police to the backyard to confirm that no acts of violence were taking place.

Police advised that vehicles at Drexel Lodge Park would need to be moved after dark, which is the township's typical regulation, Newell said. Once it got dark out, the park lot was empty.

The party ended at around 10 p.m., and there were traffic issues as partygoers lingering on the highway. But Newell says this also happens after soccer games at the park.

"We're not going to arrest people just because they're not leaving when we're asking them," Newell said. "Had it been a continuous problem, had there been somebody making threats — something like that — that would have been something we would have acted on."

There was a minor crash at around 10:30 p.m. As an employee working the event pulled out of the driveway, their vehicle collided with two cars involved in a fender bender on West Chester Pike, Newell said.

Rumors of a security guard approaching the crash scene with his gun drawn are false, Newell says. After the crash, a guard came up to make sure everyone was OK.

"Once he confirmed that, the police arrived, he walked away," said Newell, who says police reviewed body-camera footage of the interaction. "No one approached her with a pointed gun."

The scene was clear by around 11 p.m.

Additionally, it was legal for the homeowner to hire armed security at their property. There were at least two parties with armed security at Newtown homes during the PGA Championship, Newell said.

Zoning Code Violated, But No Prior Issues

Charging admission for the party violated the township's zoning code prohibiting commercial use of a residential property, officials said. The homeowner was served a notice of violation on Monday.

The notice acts as a warning. Per township policy, any further violations would take this to civil court. Zoning-code violations aren't criminal matters, so enforcement doesn't fall under police duties.

Officials don't expect the homeowner to hold any more commercial events at their property.

There were also allegations of liquor being sold. But liquor-law violations are handled by the State Police Bureau of Liquor Control — a civilian branch.

The Bureau typically intervenes after a business or venue gets repeated complaints, Newell says.

Police had no prior record of large parties or major issues at the house in question. During one afternoon last year, police were called for a noise complaint. But when officers arrived, there were no issues with noise or any other matter.

Some social media users claimed that police and the township supervisors knew about the party well in advance — and that the supervisors told police not to act in order to avoid a "racial incident."

Newell and multiple supervisors have publicly refuted these claims, which remain unfounded.

Township Supervisor Cheryl Grosso said serious accusations about the party spread on social media, including claims that it attracted prostitution and other criminal activity. But the township has found no evidence of such activities.

In a video uploaded to Facebook, she called on residents to be careful about spreading misinformation on social media.

"When things happen in our community, people should ask questions," Grosso said. "And local government has the responsibility to listen, gather the information and provide those answers. But there's a difference between asking tough questions and spreading things that are not true."

Watch Monday's Board of Supervisors meeting below: