Police in New Jersey staged around New Jersey’s Red Bull arena Tuesday night, a night after hundreds of excited fans of the Peruvian national soccer team flooded a nearby hotel and sparked a massive police response.
Authorities said they were ready to handle the crowds after Peru topped Iceland 3-1 in a pre-World Cup friendly match just a day after the Hilton Meadowlands was inundated with revelers hoping to catch a glimpse of the Peruvian players.
Video from the hotel shows hard-partying fans swarming the floor where the players were staying and the hotel’s parking lot until late into the night.
East Rutherford Mayor Jim Casella said about 1,000 people swept the hotel grounds Monday night, forcing police to respond and control the crowds.
No one expected it,” said Cassella. “The fireworks started, barbecuing, and people were roaming all over the grounds of the hotel.”
Michael Cardenas, an unsuspecting hotel guest from Fredricksburg, Virginia, called the scene “crazy.”
“There were police everywhere,” he said. “The exits were shut down and, you know, police were kicking people in and out. It was insane.”
Local
Casella added that most fans were relatively well-behaved, but one fan who refused to leave the players’ floor was arrested.
