59 Teens Hauled in From Raucous N.J. Party

Two adults were arrested and 59 teenagers were taken into custody Friday night when police broke up a raucous party inside a vomit-strewn home.

Oct. 10, 2011

3 min read

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ELMWOOD PARK -- Two adults were arrested and 59 teenagers were taken into custody Friday night when police broke up a raucous party inside a vomit-strewn home.

Diana Lozano, who resides at the home on Caruth Avenue, and Humberto Costanzo-Gil of Clifton were arrested and charged with offering alcoholic beverages to underage minors, a disorderly persons offense, said Lt. Michael Foligno.

Of the juveniles taken into custody, 38 were found to have been drinking, or told police they had been drinking, and will be charged with a borough ordinance violation for underage drinking -- a $291 fine for the first offense, Foligno said.

Police were called to the home at 10:12 p.m. by a parent who said he dropped off his 14-year-old daughter hours earlier, and had spoken to Lozano and Costanzo-Gil.

"They assured him everything was going to be fine and that there would be no alcohol at the party," Foligno said.

When the parent returned later to pick up his daughter, he found her lying in the bushes in front of the house, intoxicated.

Responding Officers Dave Meyers and Chris Liptak were met by Constanzo-Gil at the front door, who said there was no problem at the home, and who then attempted to close the door, Foligno said. Meyers and Liptak reported that Constanzo-Gil's eyes were bloodshot and that his speech was slurred.

"The responding officers detected a very strong odor of alcoholic beverages coming from within the house," Foligno said. "They also noticed from the open door a large number of juveniles standing in the foyer and along the basement stairs."

Meyers and Liptak entered the home, and observed dozens of teens, beer cans, full and partially consumed bottles of liquor, and vomit on the carpet.

Officers called for backup as the teens scattered from the home -- running out the back door and jumping from windows.

The entire shift -- seven Elmwood Park police officers -- responded, along with nearly a dozen additional officers from Garfield, Saddle Brook and the Bergen County Police Department.

"I'd say 10 or 15 got away," Foligno said.

Responding officers found that in the second-floor bathroom, vomit covered the floor, and the window screen had been removed, indicating that someone had jumped out to elude police.

"We also found someone hiding in the parents' bedroom closet, sitting in there tucked away," Foligno said.

The 59 juveniles and two adults were taken to police headquarters in Elmwood Park. All of the juveniles, who range in age from 14 to 17, were individually interviewed by a police officer and made to fill out a juvenile arrest form. The juveniles were then released to a parent or guardian.

Lozano and Costanzo-Gil were arrested and released. They could not be reached for comment Saturday.

It's unclear why the adults apparently allowed so many minors to drink in the house, Foligno said.

"It was obvious to us they were aware of it," he said. "With that many kids in the home, in a one-family home, there's no way they were not aware of it."

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