‘Come on, folks,’ gov pleads after police break up big party

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (Edwin J. Torres/Governor's Office)

TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey police needed about five hours on Sunday to break up a party of more than 700 people, Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed on Monday.

Two party organizers and the owner of the Jackson home were cited over violating an executive order capping indoor gatherings at 100 people at maximum, Jackson police said in a statement.

FULL COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS

During a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak, Murphy pleaded with people to use good judgment and avoid indoor gatherings.

“Come on, folks. Come on,” he said. “That’s needlessly putting men and women in uniform and their families at risk.”

Murphy ordered outdoor gatherings capped at 500 people because of the outbreak, with indoor gatherings limited to 25% of capacity or 100 people at most.

Jackson police arrived at the residence about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday after calls of a large party in the neighborhood. The crowd continued to grow even as police arrived, according to a statement from the Jackson police, eventually requiring all on-duty officers to respond.

It took until 1 a.m. for police to clear out the party, officers said.

A look at other developments:

TRANSMISSION RATE CLIMBS

New Jersey’s rate of transmission of COVID-19 climbed to 1.09, the Democratic governor said Monday. That’s up from about 0.8 over the weekend. The figure represents the number of people one infected person spreads the virus to.

There were some 400 more positive cases, putting the overall figure at about 180,000, the governor said.

Murphy reported 17 new deaths since late last week, putting the figure of confirmed COVID-19 deaths at 13,884. There have been 1,920 deaths considered likely to have stemmed from coronavirus.

___

ROWAN CUTS TUITION

Rowan University said Monday it was reducing tuition to $12,938, a cut of 10%.

“Amid the financial distress of the pandemic, many of our students and their families are facing significant hardship,” Rowan President Ali Houshmand said in a statement. “In response to the extraordinary economic impact, we are pleased to approve the 10% overall reduction in tuition and fees.”

Six Flags Great Adventure announces July 3 reopening date with new safety measures