SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon isn’t sure whether a group of tailgaters caught partying on a closed Radisson golf course should be fined or jailed.

But he took several minutes during his daily coronavirus news conference Thursday to call out their “ridiculous” behavior and warn that 911 operators were now equipped to dispatch police to such gatherings in the future.

An unidentified person sent a photo of tailgaters Wednesday at the closed Lysander golf course to McMahon’s office.

He singled them out as a perfect example of behavior that could send the county’s pandemic efforts -- and the incalculable difficulty they’ve caused everyone -- into a tailspin.

“Let’s not be stupid in ways that we know better,” McMahon chided. “We don’t want to have to be in a situation where we have to deal with these things. They’re ridiculous.”

McMahon’s office later released the photo of his ire.

He warned that if such behavior continues, county law enforcement will have no choice but to make “an example” of someone disobeying social distancing orders.

So far, police haven’t had to make any arrests. And they likely wouldn’t without a warning. But don’t test them, McMahon warned.

State social distancing executive orders carry civil penalties, like fines or short jail sentences. It’s unclear if tailgaters on a closed golf course could also face criminal trespassing charges.

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.

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