An off-campus party involving Monmouth University students was broken up by Deal police officers in the early morning of Jan. 17.
According to a press release provided by Deal Police Department Sergeant Brian Egan, officers were dispatched to the Neptune Avenue address at approximately 12:30 a.m. for a “fight in progress” that involved approximately 50 people.
According to the press release, many party attendees were observed fleeing the area, and two subjects were “in need of medical attention.” Deal First Aid was also dispatched to the scene, but both people refused medical attention.
A further investigation by the police department found that underage party attendees were consuming alcohol inside the residence. Six people were charged with serving/making alcohol available to underage persons, as well as maintaining a nuisance.
Those facing charges declined to comment on this story.
Vaughn Clay, Ed.D., Director of the Office of Off-campus and Commuter Services, could not comment on the specific incident due to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) restrictions. However, he explained that the University communicates with local communities, including Long Branch, Ocean Township, West Long Branch, and Deal on a monthly basis in an effort to maintain and improve community relations between students and local residents.
“We meet with them and we talk about problems that they’re seeing, and opportunities,” Clay explained. “From an off-campus complaint incident perspective, my office will receive information from the local communities. I’ll hear from neighbors about properties, in the same respect I might hear from students, occasionally, about an issue that they’re having off-campus with their community.”
He explained that to resolve an issue, he might reach out to students named in a complaint in an effort to determine what had occurred, as well as attempt to guide the students to repair relationships with neighbors and the surrounding community, and help them understand why those sort of behaviors are not to the student’s benefit.
“It’s really a matter of my trying to help the students understand their rights and responsibilities as tenants,” Clay said. “Off-campus and commuter services is not about charging or judicating [sic]. It’s more about advising, guiding, educating, [and] advocating for our off-campus population. It’s really dependent upon the incident itself.”
According to the press release, police are still investigating the fight, as well as several broken windows, damaged side-view mirrors on three nearby cars, and a broken mailbox in the area. The officers to arrive on the scene were Sergeant James Ammaturo and patrol officers Nick Dowling and Chris Mirrione.
All parties were released on a summons pending a court date.
IMAGE TAKEN from News.psu.edu
