HPD Release 2019 Hoboken SantaCon Naughty List; John Oliver Thinks They’re “The Saddest”

(ABOVE: image via YouTube)

Yeah… so… um…

Hoboken got some attention over the weekend, as HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver mentioned the Mile Square City in his segment on SantaCon.

(We come in at the 1:25 mark)

Referencing the 2018 fracas—which saw 14 arrested, 46 tickets issued, 33 ordinance violations, and 4 Hoboken Police Officers injured in a brawl—Oliver opined, “Just think about that. ‘Arrested doing SantaCon in Hoboken, New Jersey.’ That might be literally the saddest sentence in existence. It is way worse than, ‘For sale: baby shoes, never worn,’ because at least that baby was just dead, and not arrested in a Santa outfit in Hoboken, New Jersey.”

**EDITORIAL: We’re going to take a second here and defend our city—making note that none of the arrestees at this year’s event are actually from Hoboken. It’s primarily an out-of-town scene, where Hoboken—which serves as a railhead for NJ Transit, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and the PATH—once again finds itself mercilessly at the crossroads for regional douchebaggery, entertaining uninformed inebriates who likely have never been here before. How else can you explain their willingness to stand in line for hours in near-freezing temps and pay a cover charge to then pay for drinks, and then somehow endure the Homeric odyssey that is Metro Area mass transit and find their way back home… ideally without getting fined, arrested or worse?

And so it begins…#Hoboken #SantaCon https://t.co/I7HSmQWiiH

— hMAG (@hMAG) December 7, 2019

As for the realities of Hoboken’s legendary hospitality scene, we cordially invite Mr. Oliver to join us for a few pints and watch his beloved Liverpool Football Club, in an effort to gain a more accurate sense of what our city is truly all about. “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” in Hoboken, John… but rest assured that you could.***

Oliver is not alone in his condemnation of Hoboken’s SantaCon. Take a look at the comments from SantaCon NYC (held next week), who have made an effort to put some distance between themselves and the Hoboken event. They even doubled-down with a follow-up tweet, obviously worried that the Hoboken event would besmirch the good name of the SantaCon brand (colorful language):

We do not condone how it is run nor any actions that may have put SantaCon Hoboken on the naughty list. Through communication & information sharing with the NYPD, SantaCon NYC remains in good standing with the City of NY & has every intention on staying on the nice list. pic.twitter.com/7x9m0YuedV

— Santacon NYC (@santacon) December 8, 2019

That last bit, about SantaCon’s charity mission, is a genuine bone of contention for Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante—who once again lit up his twitter feed with updates on the day’s shenanigans.

The organizers & participating bars set up a wristband (at a cost) system w/drink specials & try to publicize the event as a “charity” event, urging those coming to the city to bring toys for underpriviledged children. That’s a sham as I didn’t see 1 person in 20 hrs with a gift.

— Chief Ken Ferrante (@KenFerrante) December 8, 2019

Hoboken Police have released the list of arrestees from this weekend’s Hoboken SantaCon. As we do every year, we share that list at their request. All persons named herein are innocent until proven guilty. All statements below are cited verbatim from the Hoboken Police Department:

Arrestee#1: Fernando Ferrera Age 29 Ewing NJ

Charges: Criminal Trespass, Obstructing the Administration of Law

Arrest time: 1:36 PM

Officers Involved: Sgt. Nicholas Burke

Incident Details: While on patrol in the area of 1st Street, Sgt Burke observed a male walk out of a residential garage and a female following him. The female advised Sgt Burke that said male had just urinated inside the garage where she resides. Sgt. Burke requested the male’s identification which he refused to show. As Sgt Burke continued to investigate further and explain his observations, the male would not show his identification. The defendant was placed under arrest for obstruction and Criminal trespass and later released with a summons to appear in court.

Arrestee#2: Ahamed Housny Age 30 Bayonne NJ

Charges: Driving While Intoxicated, Driving While Suspended, Wrong Way on a One Way, Bail jumping, Reckless Driving

Arrest time: 4:17 pm

Officers Involved: Det. Andrew Perez, Det. Christine Collins, Det. Michael Losurdo

Incident Details: While on patrol, the Detectives were advised of a vehicle that was traveling the wrong way and was in the area of Basils Pizzeria. Det. Perez observed the vehicle, a 2000 Lexus, parked in front of the establishment. There was a male later identified as the defendant circling the vehicle who stated to the officers he was driving the vehicle. The officers noticed the driver was slurring his speech and unable to keep his balance. Officer Harold Milne arrived on scene and administered the Field Sobriety Test. The driver was not able to complete it and was placed under arrest. He was transported to headquarters where he was processed. He was also found to have an open warrant out of the City of Hoboken which he was processed on. A breath sample was taken and the defendant did not register a reading. He was given several motor vehicle summonses and later released to a responsible party.

Arrestee#3: Gaveric Bach Age 26 Sparta NJ

Charges: Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer (Union City Officer), Possession of CDS Marijuana, Possession of CDS Paraphernalia, Resisting Arrest, Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer (Hoboken Officer)

Arrest Time: 4:54 pm

Officers Involved: PO Anthony Olivera, PO Harold Milne

Incident Details: While patrolling the area of Newark and Washington Street, Officers Olivera and Milne detected the odor of burnt marijuana. They observed the defendant holding what the believed to be a marijuana cigarette. They approached the male and were able to retrieve the cigarette once confirmed. They then attempted to place him under arrest. The defendant pushed Officer Olivera away so as to prevent him from handcuffing him. The Officers continued to struggle with the defendant who continued to resist their attempts to handcuff him. At one point all fell to the ground during the struggle injuring Officer Olivera. As they attempted to gain control of the defendant, he bit a Union City Officer in the hand causing the injury. The defendant was eventually placed in handcuffs and inside the vehicle. He continued to resist by kicking the door and slam his head against the partition causing a laceration to his head. He was transported to headquarters where he continued by spitting blood all over the area. He was eventually transported to the Hoboken University Center for treatment. The officers completed all the reports and served the defendant with a summons to appear in court. Both officers who were injured remained on duty.

Arrestee#4: Christopher Savoca Age 34 Clark NJ

Charges: Driving While Intoxicated and Reckless Driving

Arrest Time: 6:22 pm

Officers Involved: Det. Mario Novo, Det. Josh Velez

Incident Details: While on patrol in the area of 1st and Washington Street the Detectives observed a 2018 Dodge accelerate at a high speed and abruptly stop. A motor vehicle stop was conducted and as Det. Velez approached the driver to request his documents, he detected the odor of alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle and the defendant. The driver’s speech was slurred and his eyes were watery and bloodshot. The driver was asked to step out of the vehicle so a Field Sobriety Test could be conducted. Det. Novo administered the test and found the driver to be impaired. He was placed under arrest and transported to headquarters for processing. At headquarters he provided a breath sample and found to be above the legal limit. He later received several motor vehicle summonses for the offenses and released to a responsible party.

Arrestee#5: Timothy Wong Age 31 Philadelphia PA

Charges: Careless Driving, Reckless Driving, Driving While intoxicated

Arrest Time: 12:15am 12/8/19

Officers Involved: PO Jesse Castellano, PO Jayla Vega, PO Cynthia Rivera

Incident Details: While on patrol, the officers observed a 2019 Mercedes Benz disregard a stop sign in the area of Garden Street and continue traveling towards Observer Highway. A motor vehicle stop was conducted and the officers observed a male in the driver seat and a female in the passenger side. Officer Castellano detected the odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the defendant. The driver’s eyes were also bloodshot and watery. PO Vega was called on scene to conduct the Field Sobriety Test which he did not complete and found to be impaired. He was placed under arrest and transported to headquarters for processing. A breath sample was taken and found him to be below the limit. He was given several summonses for the motor vehicle offenses and released to a responsible party.

Arrestee#6:  Age 24 Dayton NJ

Charges: Lamps required after time required, Improper Passing, Reckless Driving, Driving While Intoxicated, Refusal to provide Breath Sample

Arrest time: 1:12 am 12/8/19

Officers Involved: PO Harold Milne, PO Enrico Gnassi

Incident Details: While on patrol, the officers observed a 2008 Honda operating with the headlights turned off. They were also able to observe the vehicle swerve from side to side. A motor vehicle stop was conducted in the area of Newark Street. As Officer Gnassi approached the vehicle, he observed the window to be closed and the driver speaking to him. After several minutes of attempting to locate the documents, she lowered the window and the Officer was able to detect the strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the inside. The driver was asked to step outside of the vehicle so that a field sobriety test could be conducted. Officer Milne conducted the test and found the driver to be impaired. She was placed under arrest and transported to headquarters where she refused to provide a breath sample. She was charged with the additional offense. Once complete she received several motor vehicle summonses and released to a responsible party.

Arrestee#7: Anthony Ramos-Swepson Age 27 Bayonne NJ

Charges: Driving under the influence, Possession of CDS in a MV, Open container in a MV, Reckless Driving, Possession of CDS Marijuana, Possession of CDS Paraphernalia

Arrest Time: 3:31 am 12/8/19

Officers Involved: PO Jesse Castellano, Cynthia Rivera

Incident Details: While on patrol in the area of Garden Street, the officers observed a 2013 Ford driving with the headlight s turned off. A motor vehicle stop was conducted in the area. PO Castellano approached the vehicle and requested the documents. As he waited he detected the odor of alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle and his eyes to be watery and bloodshot. They also detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside as well. The driver was asked to step outside of the vehicle. As he stepped out, a clear plastic bag of green vegetation of suspected marijuana fell to the ground. He was immediately placed under arrest. The officers were able to locate additional CDS Marijuana along with other CDS related paraphernalia inside the vehicle. He was transported to headquarters for processing. A breath sample was provided and found to be below the legal limit. He was given motor vehicle summonses along with a summons for the criminal offenses. He was later released to a responsible party.

Arrestee#8: Stephanie Cabanilla Age 23 Jersey City NJ

Charges: Driving While Intoxicated, Possession of CDS in a MV, Obstructing the passage of a vehicle, Possession of CDS Marijuana, Possession of CDS within 500 Ft public property, Poss of CDs within 1000 Ft school zone, Manufacturing, Possession of CDS with intent to distribute.

Arrest time: 3:24 am 12/8/19

Officers Involved: PO Ricky Truppner, PO Anthony Rutkowski

Incident Details: While on patrol, the officers observed a 2009 Honda stopped at a stop sign for an extended period of time without moving. The driver then proceeded westbound on 4th Street disregarding a stop sign. As the officers attempted to stop the vehicle, it swerved from side to side eventually stopping in the area of 1st Harrison Street. As they approached the vehicle they detected the odor of marijuana coming from the inside the vehicle. The officers requested the driver to step out and as she did they observed in plain view a jar with suspected CDS Marijuana. The driver was placed under arrest and a search of the vehicle was conducted. The officers were able to locate several other containers of suspected CDS marijuana. The driver was transported to headquarters for processing where Sgt. Luke Zeszotarski, who is a Drug Recognition Expert, conducted several test, finding the driver to be impaired. A breath sample was also taken and did not register a reading. The officers also confiscated $183.00 us currency believed to be proceeds of sales. The driver was eventually released with a summons.

***