Peru national soccer team draws crowd, heavy police presence near MetLife Stadium

The national Peruvian soccer team drew a crowd of hundreds at a hotel near MetLife Stadium Monday night, causing a heavy police response to the area.

East Rutherford police arrived at the Hilton Hotel at 6:55 p.m., where the Peruvian soccer team was staying and saw smoke in the lobby, said Chief of Police Dennis Rivelli. An investigation revealed someone set off firecrackers in the lobby prior to police responding. The team is scheduled to play Iceland at Red Bull Arena in Harrison on Tuesday.

Javier Jimenez, a native of East Rutherford was among those at the hotel when the team arrived. He recorded video of the crowd who were waving the flags of Peru, playing music and even some barbecuing.

“There were a lot of people who showed up, but it never got to the point there it was out of hand,” said Mayor James Cassella. “No one was prepared for it, and the hotel got a little nervous with so many people roaming around.”

A woman who was staying at the hotel was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after she allegedly refused to leave the floor where one of the Peru soccer team players was staying, Rivelli said. She was allegedly trying to meet one of the players.

"We had to close off that area, just to make it safe for people to come and go," East Rutherford Lt. Thomas Berlinski said. "We were not advised by the hotel or anything like this so we found out when the crowd became too much to handle."

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The entrance to the New Jersey Turnpike was shut down on Route 120 as police tended to the crowd. Rivelli said additional law enforcement was called in to help disperse non-hotel guests by 11 p.m. Monday.

Tickets for Tuesday's game appear to be a hot commodity, with the cheapest listed on StubHub at $270. The friendly on Tuesday is the final game in the U.S. for Peru, as they get set to compete in the World Cup in Russia this summer.

Heavy traffic was expected in Harrison Tuesday at 8 p.m. for the game and around the New Jersey Turnpike by 15W, Route 280, Route 21 and local streets, according to NJ511.org.

Staff writer Keldy Ortiz contributed to this article.

Email: jongsma@northjersey.com