5,000 People Busted At Party In AZ’s Tonto National Forest

PHOENIX, AZ — Tonto National Forest rangers last weekend broke up an illegal party attended by more than 5,000 people. The party left some injured and sent countless others home with citations, enforcement officials said.

Numerous forest protection officers encountered the revelers during a patrol near Lower Sycamore on Saturday night, according to a Facebook post by forest management.

Officers discovered that partygoers had set up campsites and blocked park access by taping off sections of main roadways. Numerous vehicles were also parked along main roads, according to the post.

By evening, officials said the melee had amassed seven vehicle accidents, multiple reports of stolen all-terrain vehicles, and an accident that resulted in one person needing to be airlifted because first responders couldn’t reach the scene because of traffic congestion.

Partygoers were also cited for driving under the influence, speeding and reckless driving, shooting illegal fireworks, and more, officials said.

Tonto National Forest, located northeast of Phoenix, requires a permit for commercial and noncommercial gatherings of 75 people or more. Officials referred to the party as an “illegal Facebook meet-up event.”

The party is the latest to be busted amid a year of gathering restrictions to the coronavirus pandemic.

In New Jersey, people continue to hold large, booze-fueled events throughout Neward, authorities told Patch. Newark police in January reported that a pair of "large parties" were busted up in one weekend at the same spot.

In November, authorities shut down an alcohol-fueled party in Midtown Manhattan in which nearly 400 people were in attendance, flouting pandemic restrictions on large gatherings, according to the New York City Sheriff's office.

And last summer, a homeowner and two others faced charges after a party at an Airbnb rental drew more than 700 people to a home in Jackson, New Jersey.