Update: NJSP fire tear gas at Summer Jam concert crowd

A major hip-hop and R&B concert erupted into violence that included State Police lobbing tear gas at concertgoers who were throwing bottles at police in the parking lot.

Witnesses say the disturbance began around 7 p.m. due to an altercation between concertgoers. That's when officials shut the gates to the show, the Hot 97 Summer Jam at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, causing a logjam of people at the MetLife gate, which in turn led to metal barriers being toppled and thrown.

After concertgoers began throwing bottles in response, police then took up a defensive V-shaped position in front of the stadium gates as a barrage of bottles pelted the officers.

An armored State Police vehicle came into the middle of the crowd and activated a piercing alarm to try to disrupt the crowd of about 1,000 people.

Sixty-one people were arrested and 10 troopers sustained minor injuries, according to the State Police.

"Apparently a fight happened inside, so they stopped letting people inside," said Chris Figueroa of Long Island, who was in the middle of the crowd. "I never experienced anything like that — I thought somebody might've had a gun."

Figueroa and companion Bryanna Ugarte, also of Long Island, left the scene when the bottles started flying.

"We ran by the police, and they were ready with their sticks and Mace," Ugarte said.

Several rounds of tear gas were released into the crowd, and one concertgoer was Maced pepper-sprayed in the parking lot.

Uniformed officers wearing helmets and gas masks and holding shields would briefly come out from behind the gates to make arrests before retreating.

The majority of arrests occurred because of concert goers climbing fences and trying to push past security at the MetLife entrance gate, according to a statement from the State Police on Monday. Troopers assisted with closing the gates to restore order and the gates were briefly re-opened to try to accommodate those with tickets who had not yet entered, but they were closed again when non-ticket holders attempted to push their way in. Some legitimate ticket holders were not able to get into the concert because of the dangerous and illegal actions of others, according to the State Police.

The concert, which featured performers Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown and others, went on despite the disturbance in the parking lot.

The crowd ultimately dispersed about 10 p.m., three hours after the disturbance began.

"A small group of highly disruptive people ruined this concert for many others," said said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, in a statement. "They created a danger to ticket-holders, stadium employees, and troopers on the scene. Our troopers took the appropriate steps to restore order to what was a brief and volatile situation,"

A spokesperson for Emmis New York, owners of Hot 97, said Summer Jam 2015 sold out early Sunday evening due to strong demand for tickets.

"When fans realized tickets were not available at the box office, a small number of people created an unsafe environment, and for the safety of all guests, the New Jersey State Police were on scene to disperse the crowd.

"The gates were closed at that time. No further entry was permitted into the event.

"For ticket holders whose tickets were not scanned, refunds will be offered at the point of purchase," the spokesman said.



Asbury Park Press Staff Writer Chris Jordan: cjordan@app.com