Over a dozen police agencies assisted in controlling a large fight that involved several gang factions that erupted at a carnival in Middlesex overnight.
According to authorities, the fight broke out at around 9 p.m. near the McDonalds in the 700 block of Bound Brook Road where officers from Middlesex observed about a dozen people attacking each other.
As officers attempted to break up the fights, the crowd of onlookers and other gang members began to engage in fighting.
The fight grew to more than a hundred participants that attacked each other prompting local police to request assistance from surrounding towns frantically.
Officers from Bound Brook, Piscataway, Green Brook, Bridgewater, North Plainfield, East Brunswick, South Plainfield, Dunellen, Manville, and NJ State Police were some of the agencies that responded.
Police gained control of the situation before shutting down the carnival at the Mountain View Park for the evening.
There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or arrests made.
The incident remains under investigation.
UPDATED 12p.m. (Statement from Police) Police ordered the premature closure of the Middlesex Firemen’s Carnival Saturday evening.
The carnival, which was scheduled to operate until 11:00pm, was ordered closed at 10:30pm when an excessive number of carnival-goers coupled with reports of disturbances on the carnival grounds posed a threat to public safety.
Police Chief Matthew P. Geist said, “To ensure the safety of all persons and to provide for the safe and orderly dispersal of the crowd, law enforcement resources from nearby towns were summoned.” Police from numerous surrounding towns and troopers from the New Jersey State Police responded and assisted with crowd control. “The crowd was dispersed without incident”, said Chief Geist, “No injuries were reported and there were no arrests.” Police added that there was no evidence to support the rumors that gangs or gang violence were involved.