Cops And Fans Clash In Melee Outside Summer Jam Concert

Fans Without Tickets Rushed Met Life Stadium Gates; State Police Used Tear Gas To Control Them

More than 60 people were arrested and 10 New Jersey State Troopers were injured outside a popular hip-hop concert Sunday, police told BOSSIP.

New Jersey State Police used tear gas to subdue several hundred unruly fans Sunday evening who tried to scale a 10-foot high fence to enter Hot 97’s Summer Jam concert at the MetLife Stadium.

While the likes of Big Sean, Chris Brown and Future jammed with more than 80,000 people at the sold out concert, fans – some of whom had been drinking and smoking in the parking lot all afternoon – became irate that they weren’t able to enter the stadium. They began scaling a high fence and forcing their way past security guards.

State Police in riot gear and armored vehicles soon swarmed the outside of the stadium, pushing the fans back and using tear gas and a high pitched alarm to subdue the crowd. The fans, in turn, began throwing glass bottles at the phalanx of officers standing behind the gates.

“They started turning over the garbage cans and taking out bottles, and throwing them at police,” one witness told BOSSIP.

State Police spokeswoman told BOSSIP that 61 people were arrested. Ten state troopers were injured, though none seriously, according to the State Police.

Several witnessers told BOSSIP they saw angry fans hurl glass bottles at the cops. MetLife Stadium employees also told BOSSIP that one fan picked up a table and hurled it at a state trooper.

“Somebody picked up a table and was arguing with the police and hit the officer in the neck,” the employee, who didn’t want to be named for fear of losing his job, told BOSSIP. “Then, all of a sudden, the police came from everywhere.”

Fans inside the concert were largely oblivious to the melee outside.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the New Jersey State Police said they deployed officers after unruly fans tried to force their way into Summer Jam.

“This evening, security personnel at one of the entrance gates to MetLife Stadium were confronted by crowds attempting to illegally enter the sold out Summer Jam concert by climbing over fences and forcing their way through security personnel,” the police statement read. “The gates have been shut and troopers on site have called for assistance from several nearby stations to help maintain order.”

Hot 97 said in a statement that a “small number of people created an unsafe environment,” forcing police to bar further entry to the one night only show, which is billed as one of the biggest concerts in hip hop.

The Manhattan-based radio station said that ticket holders who couldn’t get in would be given a full refund.

“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,” Hot 97 said on it’s website. “The gates were closed at that time. No further entry was permitted into the event.”

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