Scores of red-clad revelers unleashed chaos on the streets of Hoboken during Saturday’s SantaCon, as 14 people were arrested and four cops landed in the hospital.
“That’s 4 officers needing medical aid, & some wonder why I condemn this day!. No other day like it entire yr in @CityofHoboken . Those that cause it need to be pay the consequences,” tweeted police chief and SantaCon critic Ken Ferrante.
A Middletown, NY, man was charged with aggravated assault for dislocating a cop’s thumb during a brawl — but was processed and released in time for another round of drinks, Ferrante groused.
“Ironically, Det. J. Quinones saw the individual who injured him later & was taunted after arrestee was released as per criminal justice reform, entered [bar] Texas Arizona to drink more,” Ferrante wrote.
A Staten Island man was also hit with assault charges after he allegedly socked a sergeant in the jaw.
Two other officers had to be taken to the hospital after “getting a lot of blood on them” from combatants in a fight at a Johnny Rockets, according to the chief, who provided rolling updates on Twitter.
A Wayne, NJ, man was arrested for criminal sexual contact. Several others were picked up for driving while intoxicated or marijuana possession — and one man was arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar called McSwiggans.
Locals were quick to drop a dime on rowdy Santas. The department got 429 calls for service between noon and 4 a.m. — well above the 282 it got last year when 17 people were arrested, Ferrante noted.
Meanwhile, cops handed out 33 summonses for public drinking and urination — down from the 52 they issued during last year’s chaos.
By comparison, just two people were arrested during New York’s SantaCon last week, and cops wrote 50 summonses, Patch noted.