3 Juveniles Arrested, 1 Officer Hurt as Brawls Force Closure of Carnival in Washington Twp., NJ

Officials in one Gloucester County community say a carnival won't reopen on Saturday after three juveniles were arrested and one police officer was hurt during brawls Friday night.

According to the Washington Township Police Department, at a football/band carnival being held at the high school, "several fights broke out amongst the large crowds that gathered."

Once the scene calmed down,

• Three juveniles, none from Washington Township, had been arrested
• One officer was recovering from facial and head injuries

That officer was treated at nearby Jefferson Hospital-Washington Township and released.

Police are also quick to point out that social media posts about gunshots being fired are not true.

At no point was it reported to any of the officers on the scene that there were gunshots or a gun. None of our officers on foot patrol heard gunshots or saw any weapons.

Police departments from numerous surrounding municipalities assisted in clearing the scene, including officers from Monroe Township, Franklin Township, Glassboro, Elk Township, Woodbury, Harrison Township, Deptford Township, Mantua, Clayton, Pitman, and Rowan University.

Chief Patrick Gurcsik of the Washington Township Police Department said in a statement,

I would also like to thank the Washington Township Fire Department for aiding with traffic concerns, assisting with the reunification of minors with their parents, and ICS incident management at the Command Post. We are also grateful this morning for the Washington Township EMS for rendering medical assistance to our injured officer.

 

After discussions with the Carnival organizers and myself, a decision was made to cancel the carnival for ... April 15, 2023.