RED MENACE: 17 Arrested as SantaCon Punches, Spits in the Face of Hoboken

A total of 17 arrests for SantaCon 2017, with lowlights including a Hoboken Police Officer punched in the face by a female perpetrator, and another disorderly person spitting in the face of an officer during his arrest.

Just had a prisoner spit directly in one of our @HobokenPD officer’s face during processing. Correspondents from @FiOS1NewsNJ saw the conduct of that individual & his 2 friends outside of HQ while interviewing me. They are seeing 1st hand what we are dealing with. Report at 10pm.

— Chief Ken Ferrante (@KenFerrante) December 16, 2017

Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante‘s twitter account was pretty busy last night, detailing all the mayhem brought on by Hoboken SantaCon—which drew in an estimated 5,000 participants and choked the sidewalks of downtown Hoboken with red-clad revelers.

RED STORM RISING: #SantaCon Engulfs #Hoboken#HobokenSantaCon #naughtyornice pic.twitter.com/emvugyNmyd

— hMAG (@hMAG) December 16, 2017

Those arrested hailed from places like Middletown, Bloomfield, Hewitt, Linden, Hopatcong, and other towns on the NJ Transit lines that put Hoboken in the crosshairs for events such as this. The city’s convenience and remarkable accessibility—which make it such a desirable place to live—leave it vulnerable to a concentrated influx of antisocial behavior from surrounding areas.

An online petition to ban the event gained momentum yesterday, as Hoboken residents stayed home behind closed doors and witnessed the melee via social media.

It’s getting even messier out there in #Hoboken because of Santacon. If you are looking to go out in the Mile Square, go somewhere uptown or just sit home. 🎅🏻 #HobokenSantaCon #santacon #hoboken @njdotcom pic.twitter.com/fiuViBajq0

— Don’t Sit Home® (@dontsithome) December 17, 2017

The “official” list of participating venues included:

• Hoboken Bar & Grill
• Texas Arizona
• Cadillac Cantina
• Biggies
• The Shannon
• Birch
• Hotel Victor Bar & Grill
• 1 Republik
• Havana Cafe
• Mills Tavern
• Black Bear Bar
• Tally Ho
• Village Pourhouse

According to the good people at PubCrawls.com, seemingly, “a portion of proceeds will be donated to Kidz1st, Inc.” Earlier in the week, hMAG reached out to PubCrawls.com regarding the charity, and they had no information. We were directed to Hoboken Bar & Grill for more information, but as of press time our phone call remains unanswered.

“Picture thousands of Santa’s [sic] running wild through the streets of Hoboken and having access to some of the best bars you can imagine,” says PubCrawls.com, on the Hoboken SantaCon event page. “That’s exactly what you’ll get with this great event.”

Meanwhile, many other bars and restaurants flat-out refused to serve anyone involved in the unsanctioned pub crawl.

I would like to thank all @CityofHoboken bars & restaurants who are NOT participating in this unsanctioned SantaCon event today & whose businesses are hurt by this event. thank you to the 85+ liquor establishments who have NOT had ONE Tavern Complaint issued against them this yr.

— Chief Ken Ferrante (@KenFerrante) December 16, 2017

Mayor-Elect Ravi Bhalla has said, “SantaCon is not welcome in Hoboken.” Saturday’s event has proven to be more disruptive than LepreCon, the annual snarl that has come to replace the infamous Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

In addition to the 17 arrests, there were 51 City Ordinance summonses (public drinking, public urination, disorderly conduct), 32 moving violation summonses, 55 individuals transported to local hospitals, and 282 calls for service—all within a 16-hour period.

Our @HobokenPD ABC Enforcement team has reported to me this morning that there are over two dozen ABC Tavern Complaints issued against liquor establishments for ABC Violations, with some establishments receiving multiple complaints.

— Chief Ken Ferrante (@KenFerrante) December 17, 2017

(*Story updated at 11:55 a.m.)