Update: Sat. Night Downtown Crowd Estimated at 300

Winter became spring on Saturday night, but the scene in downtown South Orange was reminiscent of last summer. Police Chief James Chelel said the size of the crowd—which reached its peak around 9 p.m. and was dispersed by 11 p.m.—was about 300, and the areas of greatest concentration were Sloan Street and Village Plaza. The local police department was backed up by officers from East Orange, Orange, Maplewood and NJ Transit.

According to Chief Chelel, two juveniles from Newark who were known to each other were arrested for fighting and released to their parents. There was also a strong arm robbery at approximately 9:04 p.m. at Warren Court & South Orange Ave. involving a 21-year-old man whose iPod was taken by a group of five juveniles. Police rounded up suspects, but the victim was unable to identify his assailants. However, police arrested one of those stopped for questioning—an 18-year-old from Newark—for possession of marijuana.

Saturday night saw a full house at Columbia High School's "Big" performance, as well as a bar mitzvah at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel attended by many local middle schoolers, which made for a marked contrast with the disorderly scene downtown. An observer reported that both Stony's and the Village Trattoria closed their doors to business, and a customer was trapped in the Bank of America vestibule by the crowd.

Locals report large groups of teens in the center of town from early evening onwards, comparing their numbers to the Fourth of July. Reports on Maplewood Online suggest that teens fled from police on foot through yards. Sirens were audible until late at night, and the flashing lights of police cars were visible from streets away.

Several South Orange residents who spoke to Patch declined to be quoted by name, but admitted to being "scared of downtown," "worried about summer," and "concerned about businesses." Others described the scene as "chaos." Sunday morning saw debris littering the downtown area.

The Citizens Public Safety Advisory Committee meets for the first time ever on Tuesday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Village Hall. This meeting is open to the public, and locals are encouraged to attend. The issue of weekend nights in South Orange is likely to top the agenda.