Ummmmmm, I'm sure it was necessary to have 5 police departments and the helicopter for a high school party.....

Great use of our police resources. When will this Country have a serious discussion about our alcohol consumption policy? Presently, it encourages binge drinking and driving long distances to attend illegal parties where alcohol is served.

Really? I mean...really? Absurd.

"Under control" can't legalize underage drinking

Project ED lives on

For all who find this utterly absurd, and a complete waste of funds. I am right there with you! UGH

@ private why don't you go call one of those cops a pig to their face. You're a big person to do behind a computer screen.

Stop blaming the cops...you people anger me...if a kid had wrapped his car around a tree or something stupid you would have complained and said that the cops should have been there. But the cops act and prevent these things from happening and you say it's a waste.

@Mark R although the drinking age is 21 in this country, I'm sure most parents aren't deluded enough to think the parties their teenage sons or daughters attend mainly consist of playing mario bros, drinking ginger ale, and rounding up a game or two of twister. It's good to know that chester's police force is active, but this is one of many examples of how they have exceeded the means necessary to ensure safety. A helicopter? seriously? it just isn't necessary. Our town is small, we don't need such over-the-top and constant surveillance. Kids will always go to parties and drink, it isn't a big deal and it will never change. What bothers me is knowing the police force in this town is watching at every turn and waiting to pull over any young looking kid or break up any sign of a house party, no matter how tame it may be. What this article describes is an embarrassment to our town.. they had countless other options to make sure those hiding in the woods were safe.

Greg, it seems that all these comments are possibly coming from kids who were there as one stated he was.. They are obviously oblivious to reality and believe they are untouchable.

Privatize the police force! Lets be honest here most things the government does is a waste of taxpayer money, so this really shouldn't be news for y'all sheep.
Give me a "like" if you agree^^
- Edgar A. Galsworthy Jr

What if the police were able to properly secure all exits to the house, so no kids could run, and therefore not have to waste money on a helicopter

All these comments are coming from kids ? Oh really ?
How about one person does not get the concept that using a helicopter to search for kids running from the cops showing at a house party is insane. The Chester police are, and have been waaaaaaay to big for their britches for a long time. Thankfully living in Mendham (where the police are not up to this sort of nonsense) I don't have to foot the bill for their shenanigans anymore.

Helicopter?? Did Gov. Christie have to pick up his son at that party? Waste of resources. Two cops maybe show up at a murder in Essex but we need four towns and the State police for kids???

Are you kidding me!?! Helicopters are a little excessive, don;t you think? I don't coodone underage drinking, but give me a break. Besides, who's paying for all this. I'm sure if taxpapers were surveyed, they would not support this behavior by the police.

These "shenanigans" are stopping underage drinking and other dangerous situations. Also, it is the job of any police force to over react and plan for the worst. If they don't and something bad happens, I guarantee that these people will have a field day blaming the police for not doing enough.
Something bad could have easily happened to those kids in the woods and who would have been blamed? The police.

Bottom line the breaking up or ending of the party was not planned out and poorly executed.

Why run if you have nothing to hide or better yet if you want to drink like adults, then face the music like adults!!

Haha maybe your whole idea of having an underage drinking party was poorly executed...

Adults do drink with risk, everyone who drinks is w doing so with risk that is common sense. So if they camped out HS kid you don't think people would of been complaining about that, get real. When something goes wrong and people get in trouble the first finger pointed is at the police. And the fact parents allow their kids to take part in activities like this makes them enablers,

I'm sure all the law abiding citizens on this board never were at a house party with underage drinking. Right. Everyone did- I grew up with a number of the local police officers and nobody (with a couple exceptions) was winning a good conduct medal. There is 0 justification for a helicopter or police dogs. If your kids were being chased by dogs and helicopter, you would be screaming bloody murder. So all you perfect people get off your high horses.

If you are aware that drinking underage is illegal then why are you doing it? Who cares if adults can do it? You don't make any sense

Kids, the idea that the police made you run into the woods is the problem here. YOU were the main reason YOU ran. If you think you are responsible enough to drink and get home safely, that is one thing, but 150 underage kids drinking in one house on a Friday night just leads to trouble. Take responsibility for yourself. . It is not the fault of the police that legally they have to break up an underage drinking party and, yes,you do have to face the music just like everyone else in this country should who breaks the law. Get used to it. If someone got alcohol poisoning, fell down stairs, got in a bad fight, accidentally started a fire that trapped kids there to die, etc, you would be blaming the police for not shutting it down. Sorry you don't like the way they talked to you but I would have been ticked off at you too if you ran and made me chase you out there. Toughen up. The party was too big and the kids running in that wooded area made the situation worse for everyone. That said, if my teenager was out in the woods in this temperature with no coat and possibly drunk, there would be a search for him/her. What did you folks want the police to do at that point, leave them there to potentially freeze?

blah blah blah pigs wil b pigs $

The point is we are all aware of the risk and it's obviously not the right thing to do, but the situation was not handled correctly.

What I was trying to get to is every kid at that party could have been contained by the police had they not started screaming and causing chaos. I understand that it is their duty to stop that party and respect that, they're are doing their jobs. However, they could have executed it so that noone was wandering through the woods in the freezing cold.

I agree with the high school student. Was it right to be drinking underage? No, but was it right or even needed to call in about 3 other towns of cops? No. And the fact that they were cursing at them is not acceptable. Just because their a cop does that mean they have the right to be a complete jerk? No it doesn't and also last time I checked most of you adults use to drink underage in high school. It's what kids do in high school. I also talked to people who attended this party and actually didnt run and they said that there was only 70 or 80 kids at the party, may I add a majority of Randolph kids. And the police officers didnt charge any of them even though some were drunk. All they did was have them call their parents to pick them up and cursed at them. Oh and got a helicopter that didnt do anything. And no where near all of these kids were safely found, only about 20, not even came back.

How am I supposed to believe that the police are out to protect me when every time I drive through town past 11:00 P.M. I get pulled over and often searched. I have had my liscense for 1 year and have been pulled over 9 times. Never gotten a ticket because I have never done anything wrong so don't try to argue that. As high schoolers were are constantly being targeted and victimized. You can go on with your bs about how we were doing illegal things but I have felt like I have a target on my back since the day I recieved my liscense and I can promise you I am the last person or thing the police need to worry about.

I have seen more drugs in the restaurant that I work at in the last 6 months than in my highschool in the past four years. We are not this areas only problem.

As a parent and a concerned citizen a helicopter and dogs after my child for running off into the woods, where they could easily get lost at night in freezing temperature, break a leg and be stuck for days, I would be THANKFUL to have such resources and dept that cares that all of these kids were safe and accounted for... they were not chasing kids for fun! if one of those children got hurt or went missing they easily could have succumbed to the temperatures and the officers were aware of that and acted to try to avoid such incident. clearly if they had a heads up on the party they could have planned better but seems they were probably acting on a complaint as they SHOULD! They were doing their jobs! And as for those speaking of ignorance, time to look around at the world your living in! This is not the inner city we are speaking of , yet a normally quite, wealthy area surrounded by many state parks and mountainous terrain. These tools are in place for a reason, this is not out of the ordinary when they know someone has ran into the woods. And if it were not for the police forces of the chesters and surrounding towns your pretty little town would be a target for thieves and thugs! Stop tearing down these men who DO come to work EVERY DAY to PROTECT your town and ALL of those people in it!

Preach high school kid

Our police force is absolutely absurd. I am a prent of a mendham student, and this is ridiculous. When we were 18 we could legally drink, and none of you were complaining then. Then the age gets raaised and you think kids are going to just stop drinking? Almost all of the parents who have commented in this are huge hipocrits who lack the ability to think critiically. We have vry high taxes in Morris county and in mendham and chester especialy, nd we are puttng a licensed hlicopter pilot in the air with dogs on the ground to catch high school kids having a couple of beers, which i'm sure is what most of the parents here were doing aswell. If the police force would think before they act, they could have talked to the owner of the house calmy and said no one will be arrested other than the host if everyone comes out peacefully. But instead, they show up out front, try and arrest evryone, fail miserably, send out a helicopter and dogs who caught no one, and then say it was all in the name of keeping the kids safe. Bullchit. They were trying to arrest as many people as possible to raise funds for their department, while the people who they are supposed to be protecting, face the ultimatum o gtting arrested, paying huge fines, and possibly not going to college, or just running into the woods.

There is no issue here that the kids are "afraid " of police , we are talking about educated kids here.... they all went through the DARE program and were taught early on the police are not out to get you, they are there to protect you. Doing something wrong warrants their need for involvement and consequences to all of those at that party! you all knew you were doing something wrong that was the risk you took, running away and acting even more irresponsibly after the fact could have gotten someone killed!
@hookerman... no need for your NORMAL silly antics. Mark has made good points as have others.

The blame is not solely on the police and not only on the high schoolers. The whole structure of the relationship the two have needs to change. High schoolers need to understand that if they are doing something illegal there is inherent risk, if they get caught they need to own up to their actions. The police need to realize that high schoolers are young and lighten up on the punishments. Many times one discretion can put a mark on a kids record and prevent someone from getting into college. While ultimately the responsibility is on the kid, everyone makes mistakes and they should be given some leeway. In regards to tickets, everyone gets pulled over. Younger people are targeted because they have less experience on the roads. HS Kid if you haven't received a ticket because you've never done anything wrong then it sounds like the police aren't antagonizing you. Profiling is an issue that needs to be addressed

@myopinionmatters That is such an ignorant response....sigh....the dare program preaches things like "marijuana will kill you", how can that be taken seriously??? They explain that the police are not out to get you, however they are if you are doing something illegal. Who does that? ALMOST EVERYONE I KNOW. who wants to get arrested NO ONE EVER. There are certain laws in our country that do not need to be in place, and many people know how to break them responsibly. I have several friends that have been arrested for possession of marijuana and other stupid things. Chester police are notorious for behavior such as inventing probable cause, searching without permission etc. It is for these (very very sensible) reasons that I and most of my peers hate and fear the police.

PS, im no hypocrit... kids will drink... i doubt the owner of the house was home... these teenagers were acting irresponsibly. My child would for sure be punished and understand whats right and wrong here.... and poor babies were cursed at... im sure these flagrant mouths of theirs were spewing all sorts of things at the officers! And for your high taxes and not liking your police depts... you think they are out to raise funds for what exactly?! any fines go to the town itself it doesnt directly fund the police or their salaries! you dont like it so badly move! thanks to the work they do, it IS a safe place to live.

yup not giving my name.... have you sat in on those classes... marijuana isnt preached as if it would kill you but could lead you to other more dangerous drugs! whats illegal is illegal, if your friends have been arrested for possession sounds like that CAUSE enough! but what I speak is ignorance! I dont take part in illegal activity! so therefore I dont have a problem with the police... and i can assure you if they were searching hosts of people illegally someone would have filed suite against the town, yet that hasnt happened because its bull, coming from your friends who were possessing illegal drugs. right.

@ concerned parent where you there? Do you know if the parents were home? I don't know of any parent that would allow 100 kids at their house and allow them to drink. If they did shame on them. They obviously don't know that they could possibly lose everything they worked for if . something happened to one of those kids while even inside the house. I'm sure there was more than alcohol there and you'd probably be the first to sue if your child sustained an injury or even died at that residence Your taxes have nothing to do with kids acting like idiots. The njsp provide it as a service your taxes are already paying for it so why not use it if its available. Anything to protect kids when they are wrong. You can't compare our eras and the legal limit to drink changing. Just bc it's 21 they should still be allowed to do so? Bc that's what you are saying. Kids control their own destiny and its all in their upbringing. It's their own fault if they do not get into college.

@ not giving my name. Which Chester police are you talking about, twp or borough

I'm pretty the dogs, helicopters and multitudes of police officers from surrounding towns only pushed these kids deeper into the woods. It was way over the top for a party.

@hookerman.... im not afraid to answer you question! I had attended parties in college when I was not of drinking age... in highschool, no i did not. And if i had , i would have had to deal with a great deal of consequence. I knew when I attended in college what could have happened and am smart enough to face what ever I would have had to. its not the point of attending the party .... those woods are DANGEROUS and when your impaired you dont think you could get hurt... those kids put themselves in a potentially lethal situation running like that and there is NO excuse for that... the police DID their job! I have read many of your posts, always criticizing and not very constructive....These kids need to learn a lesson and sadly it will be when a fellow student loses their life, as if that has not happen enough this past year. I am aware of the use of the dogs and helicopters often in that area, you all just have not noticed it or read about it previously. I have no issues with it.

@ hookerman damn straight I did however, times were different then you can not compare. Did I indulge in drugs like many of the high school students these days do. Absolutely not. I had discipline These are all spoiled brats

The parents indeed will pay...one way or another...

Go to a council meeting and request the numbers, ask to find out how many complaints there are... ITS ALL public record people... but then again... im convinced your all teenagers on here whining! wait until monday when you get to school to find out they will be looking to find out who was involved and there may be punishment to face there for what you did while you were out of school! THATS RIGHT THEY DO THAT AND THEY CAN AND prob will!

@myopinionmatters. Your wrong about the dare program. The dare program is given to kids when they are in 5th grade and 6th grade the message when I remember it was that marijuana kills. The cops are trying to scare kids at a young age to try and keep them away from drugs they rarely brought up any drug that is much worse than weed. Because these towns don't really have a problem with cocaine heroin or crystal meth. Weed is the biggest problem that the dare program is trying to prevent against. Also most kids only want to graduate the dare program because of the pool party they throw for the students who finish the program. 6th graders are not going to be interested in the date program because it doesn't really pertain to them. The dare program would be more affective to student in 8th grade or freshman year of high school. And it shouldn't be to try and scare kids from drugs but educate them properly not tell them that marijuana kills and your also gonna sit here and say that when you were a teenager you never experimented with alcohol or ever attended a high school or college party when you were underage? If you didn't then I feel sorry for you because you missed out on a lot of opportunities to meet ppl or have those experiences

Full responsibility.... Thank you

these towns don't have a problem with heroin??? are you living under a rock????

For all the damn money they wasted and resources they used they did not get man kids out of the woods at all for Christ sake I was 1/4 mile away from the house in the woods wedged in a pine tree for like an hour and a half and police with dogs passed under that tree like 3 4 times one of the times shinning the light at the tree and looking at it but I'm to stealthy they never found me and I know that like 80 percent of the kids that ran into the woods did not get caught and they say they got everyone haha an also like 5 different police departments chill with that

If you all thought you were a target before. Just wait. And btw your childish to use my name as a your screen name. I'm much older than you and worked hard my whole life. So you can shut your mouth about my social life . Your just another spoiled little brat. Be a shame if mommy or daddy takes your play station away. Oh that's right they probably have no influence in your life.

Haha. I'm not mad I could careless. the bottom line people / kids need to take responsibility for their own actions. You are the one that is cursing junior. That's right you aren't anything with that have a great night

Post all you want kids.... time to take responsibility for your actions the police didn't make a dangerous situation the hundred plus kids did. good luck living in your fantasy bubbles... they will pop eventually.

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for commenting. I see a lot of interesting points on both sides. This sort of debate is encouraged and appreciated. Everyone's opinion is accepted here. But please, try to remain courteous to one another and don't violate our terms of service by cursing. I would hate to have to remove a post with valid points because of foul language.
Thanks again for commenting.

Ridiculous mendham and chester create there own problems and it costs 75,000 $ to send the helicopter out on something like this Tax payer o tax payer

I'm a neighbor to where the party was and it was on a flag lot where you couldn't hear anything .. Only thing as did hear was the cops flying down my road and the chopper above head . The good ole boy cops are long gone and say hello to the cocky right out the academy slime balls who don't know anything bout the town or people they serve its just a paycheck

I think this is a pretty simple problem. Anyone recall that once upon a time alcohol was illegal for not only minors but for everyone? And what happened? Once responsible, law-abiding citizens became "criminals" when they chose to disregard the law. This caused chaos and organized crime. The fact of the matter is, nowadays, the majority of these high school students are not only drinking on occasion but drinking socially quite often. It's not a matter of these teens being bad people, it's a matter of the effectiveness of the law in keeping people safe. If the law was sensible then it's common sense that there wouldn't be so many people breaking it. Enacting a sensible alcohol policy would have fixed this entire situation. The teens would not have been breaking any laws, and therefore would not have scattered into the cold dark woods. To say that these teens are less ready to consume some alcohol at a party than adults is just stupidity. All of you adults need to get off your high horses and understand that teens like to drink and that by treating them like criminals for this, you turn them into criminals. In reality many of these party-goers do probably have very bright futures. To use myself as an example, I am 18 and used to attend mendham high school. I graduated high school with a 3.9 and now study physics and have above a 3.5. I do not by any means consider myself a criminal for consuming alcohol on the weekends, or even for using other drugs.

Also, I'm pretty underage drinking doesn't ruin many lives. And yet, the punishments for underage drinking can. PROTECTING the teens by arresting them? I think not. Iv'e also noticed that many "commenters" who have sided with the police made a lot of assumptions and used illogical reasoning to disregard valid points made by some highschoolers in their comments. i.e. "the teens were PROBABLY cursing at the police too", "all the teens are in their fantasy bubbles", "they're all spoiled brats"
Give me a break. If you think that all of these kids deserved to be arrested and charged, and you think this would serve any good purpose, you must be in quite the fantasy bubble yourself.

The law should fit the people, not the other way around.

I don't care what the drinking age was 'when we were kids'. The drinking age is 21, not 15 or 17 or even 18... If you want to tell your kids they can pick and choose which laws to obey then expect them to break your rules as well as others.

If it's 'cool' with mom and dad that teenagers break the law and drink is it cool if they rob a bank? what about skim from their employer?

Oh, and for the record "ivy league' refers to a sports league, not the quality of the school. Yes, most are top schools. Why not just say a 'top school'. I'd put some non-"ivy" league schools way above Ivy.

Congrats for getting in to a great college, now will they still let you go with a felony charge?

Now, if the parents hosted a party and served booze to underage kids, do they get to pay the bill for the cops time?

--
No matter what I think of the drinking age, telling a kid "Go break the law, in fact I'll help you because that law is dumb" doesn't set a good example. I know people who think the 'drinking and driving' law is dumb, and i know people who have no parent because someone ignored the drinking and driving law.

I know parents who think the drinking age is stupid, kids can handle it. I also know girls who have been gang raped at college by dunk guys.

Teen's don't always make great choices, that's why the age is 21. I'm glad no one was hurt. It's a shame people don't think you can celebrate without booze.

Cops these days are out of towners..just want a paycheck. They are not the kids that grew up locally. Just hot headed kids that can carry a gun write tickets and pull you over thinking they have the big catch of the day. Cops are the biggest law brakers there is..find a cop that got arrested for a DUI..! Wont happen! They get that badge..they get a pass for life! Even if you sneeze, you'll get pulled over at 2 or 3am cause your automatically guilty and coming from a bar at that time...

let kids get away with drinking? not by the hairs on our chinny chin chins!

yeah they were never kids that did that!...they were all alter boys!

While the cops of 3 towns were in the woods and in the air. Who was watching the roads. What if a drunk driver from one of the legal drinking establishments was driving around?

@LVmom first of all comparing robing a bank to consuming alcohol is like comparing the sun to a flashlight. Who are you to dictate what teenagers do/say/or drink? Sure underage drinking is illegal, however, nobody who consumed alcohol got behind the wheel that night, got arrested, or even were injured! Your outrage over this matter is completely absurd. Go back to the middle school PTO where you belong. And yes I may or may not have been present at this party, I can make an educated opinion on this matter not some old stuck up mother of an overprotected child. Good day

I think there are two issues here one being the under age drinking and the other the absurd over us of resources. Underaged drinking is illegal dispute being able to vote and join the army but the problem I have with last night was the way it was handled they probable could have got the same response with two cars. Cities like Camden and Newark are laughing at this. This is why we should consolidate these Mickey Mouse towns and get one unified government with experienced leadership

I can't wait until one of you, poor excuses for a human being, needs one of those "pigs". I pray they don't show up for you. You can't argue with ignorance.

This is a lie. Not everyone was accounted for at the end of the night

You do realize that not ALL of the police officers were there, right? They do the job they are hired to do, just like you and I. If and when another call were to be called in to them, they would respond to that. Do you have to do multiple things over the course of your work day? I know I do.

I was in the woods and the helicopter and or dogs did not do a good job of finding us... And obviously kids are going to run. No one wants to get in trouble and its your first instinct when you're under the influence. And like others were saying its high school... Do you think they have these problems in Europe? Or even Canada? No because the drinking age is younger and kids know how to control themselves. And most of the kids there were 18. How are we considered adults at this age but still have so many restrictions? Pick an age! 18 or 21..

ohh "full responsibility" you're a highschooler??

The party was dope

I do wish it upon people with no respect. They don't deserve it, in my humble opinion. If you're going to bitch and moan about law imforcement then don't call them, especially if you need them. it's very hypocritical. I'm 6 years out of highschool, I know what kids do. I've done it all, believe me, but I had and still do have enough respect for cops not to undermine their worth to my town, and their ability to help me or my loved ones in times of need. You can have an opinion on whether or not dogs and helicopters were necessary, but to attack cops and speak poorly on them saying they make to much money or their pigs shows the lack of class and education

In my opinion they should have secured the home before just entering if they were calm and told everyone to call there parents and leave there wouldn't have been a problem kids will be kids and drink. They all know how to find alcohol as the man above stated there was no loud music there was no reason to just show up at this home and try to stop 80 kids it's not going to happen and many of them got away its funny how cops act like they never drank underage when they were teens they took it way to far simple as that

It was dope nd the 5-0 just made it worse , its there fault kids had to freeze there asses off in the woods and deal wit them fukn thorn shyts

But real purpose of that helicopter is to raptly get trauma victims to hospital when 2 minuets could be the difference between life and death. God forbid a horrible accident really happened, and the helicopter was tied up doing something like this.
This is a perfect example of abuse of tax payer resources. Is this really necessary? Our whole shore is falling apart and people are homeless. Meanwhile, our police are using the much needed tax payers funds to chase 16 year old's who managed to consume one and a half bottles of Mikes Hard Lemonade, with a helicopter! This sounds like the plot of a summer comedy staring Will Ferrel! Not a real world situation.

to the people commenting in this article saying things along the lines of "why would you run". i may not have been there but its quite simple, if i saw a pissed off german Shepard k9 unit ready to chomp at my leg, yes i would run like hell

To be fair, only the host is facing charges. If the police had used the excuse of keeping kids from freezing to round them up, and then charged them, I'd be furious. But they only are charging the host. And I guarantee all of you, if the police had missed even ONE kid who got injured, lost, sick, or died, everyone would be up in arms about how they hadn't done enough. And it's not like they used the chopper to actually break up the party, just to find the kids who might have gotten lost in the woods.

Now, before people start calling me a cop lover, I've done my fair share of underage drinking, as I'm sure almost anyone else has, and routinely use other drugs. And I believe that the way we have constructed our alcohol laws prevents teens from learning how to drink properly, because they end up only drinking when they're at parties with other teens who probably don't know anything about drinking either. That's when kids get too drunk and problems start cropping up. My parents were intelligent enough to allow me to drink well before I turned 21, but always in a moderated fashion. I still went out to parties, and I still drank, but because they defied the law by teaching me how to drink properly, I never ended up with anything more serious than a face full of sharpie. If laws were changed to allow children to drink in their parents homes, or at a younger age, like it used to be, we might not see so many teens possibly getting injured after underage parties.

Kids! As a former resident, I would recommend you ask your parents why they continue to live in these towns. If they mention education, call BS because it's not like the public schools are even that great these days. Heck, Mendham High is pretty much a brain-trust of gym teachers, and CCM arts graduates! Ask them if they fear their black Mercedes-Benz and Coach handbags won't impress people elsewhere, and ask them if they get satisfaction out of saying they are from "Mendham," or "Chester," or any of the surrounding wealthy bubble towns. I feel most kids in these areas get the short end of the stick because their parents have chosen to live in a area that is more of a status symbol than an area where their offspring can grow up and have a normal (fun) life.

Couldn't the State have just used heat seeking drones to eliminate the unlawful teens? I was in East Germany when there was one, and this is exactly what they would do for the most minor offense. If you don't think we are continuingly moving towards a Police state since 9/11, then you must live in a lot of fear and are gladful for all of the "protection".

I ran through this thread this morning. It was highly entertaining, filled with the best and worst of Humans! I'm just glad I'm not a kid living in Chester-Mendham in this day and age. I don't think I'd fare well.

I'll enjoy the SuperBowl with my two underage college kids, home for the weekend, and we'll have a few beers together:) I never was never an angel and I try to keep my hypocrisy at bay.

if your logic consists of "it's a stupid law, so just ignore it", there's no reasoning with you. if you don't like the law, grow up, become a legislator, and try to do something about it. if you want the rights and benefits a society grants, you need to put up with those laws or do something about it in a productive way. getting drunk and acting like an idiot won't get you far in life.

OMG, blah, blah, blah.......(I am really worried about today's education as most of the commenters can't put a legible sentence together.) Several police depts. responded--that doesn't mean it was the entire force from each town. If you ran into the woods, you knew you were doing something illegal and were afraid to be caught. 70, 80, 100 kids, whatever the correct number, were drinking and none of them were going to end up driving a car? You all seem so proud to have been drinking, that you eluded police, "got away with it." See how much that pride helps you when you have to be extricated from a car wrapped around a pole because you were DUI. I'm so tired of people feeling entitled, that they are above the law because they disagree with it. If you think authorities "overreact" to situations like this one, it's because of that attitude.

Liberty with the typical "car wrapped around a pole" comment. There were designated drivers at the party and no one is stupid enough to DUI. Parents usually pick up the kids as well

I used to be a mendham high student a couple years back. I am 21 and used to party as hard as the rest of them. If I was in high school I am sure i would feel the same way most of you guys do. Now that i am older I understand why the cops did what they did. I think the helicopter was a little much but you guys gotta understand, if some one got hurt while running the cops would be at fault. The problem is no one wants to get caught for underage drinking which is what the main problem is. the penalty shouldnt be as severe as it is. It should be some community service and nothing on your record. As far as cops pulling kids over, is completely the kids fault. Just drive normal, they wont pull you over for no reason they cant do that. I would not send my kid or my little brother to mendham high. It is so drug infested that i know my little brother would get involved. So mendham students get your stuff together and get the pride back in mendham sports. people used to fear playing us and now they roll over us. Get the pride back. Long live the 2010 bball state champs. I was on that team and loved every second of it. Mendham Pride.

Absolutely Insane is of manpower . Kids to day are so much more responsible than the 60s. In all cases, we/they drank/drink. Parents need to be guiding this . NOT THE POLICE > Where were the parents? at their own party ? Away for the weekend?
I guarantee no kids drove from that party / all the DUIs arrive to accomodate / mostly the girls NOT allowed / invited . A helicopter ? Really? That is the police covering thier ass and spending your money .

Man, how many of you forget what you did back in HS! I'm guessing none of you went to parties and drank! Teach your children that if they are in a situation, they can call you and you won't be pissed! Otherwise they may try to hide it from you or worse, get in a car with some who shouldn't be driving

ENOUGH OF THE BUBBLE TOWN AND RICH KID GARBAGE. WERE ALL NORMAL KIDS NO DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES ANYWHERE ELSE. YEA WE MAY LIVE IN NICE HOMES AND DRIVE NICE CARS BUT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. OUR PARENTS WORKED THEIR BUTTS OFF FOR WHAT THEY HAVE AND MOST OF US INTEND TO DO THE SAME. YES WE'RE LUCKY FOR THE WAY WE LIVE BUT THAT DOESENT MAKE US SPOILED BRATS.

Back in the 70's, if the cops busted up one of our parties, they made us pour out the beer/booze and go the hell home. And all it took was 1 or 2 cops to show up, because we DID respect them and they knew it. A lot of folks today have no respect for the police, or themselves for that matter. With the proliferation of lawyers, there is always one ready to "defend your rights", so the cops (and you) need to cover their ass.
Not too long ago, a girl at concord academy in MA (very posh private girls school, caroline kennedy went there) got drunk at a party and staggered off into the woods, freezing temps, passed out and her face landed in brook which was partially unfrozen, only a couple inches deep and she drowned.
The helicopter may very well have been overkill, but really, if these kids didn't run and manned up to what they were doing, shown a little respect and acted somewhat responsible, it probably would have been a different outcome.

I highly doubt Full Responsibility is a high school student. I drove several of the kids that DIDN'T run and they all say they were tested. Maybe you're just SPECIAL., so special you won't reveal your TRUE name so your fellow students can set you straight.

Legalize marijuana and none of this would ever happen!!!

I'm a student who did not go to the party on Friday. When my classmates were talking about it, everyone was saying they were either getting a designated driver to take them there, or their parents were picking them up. No one had any intention of drinking and driving because most of us take that very seriously. We know we're not invincible and we know how dangerous drunk driving is. Yes, it's illegal for kids my age to drink and we don't take the consequences of our actions into consideration as much as we should. But the reality of the situation is that almost all high school students drink, and we don't think it's fair when a small group gets penalized for doing something that we all do. So we're not blaming the cops for our actions, we are just frustrated with the fact that kids got in trouble for just acting like any other teenager!

We all know that our parents drank when they were our age, and so did their parents, and our children will drink when they are teenagers too. It is a part of high school life and it's not going away anytime soon, no matter how much the legislators raise the drinking age. Alcohol is dangerous at any age if you aren't responsible with your intake. I feel that adults automatically assume that teens will be reckless and irresponsible when it comes to drinking, just because we are young and inexperienced. What they don't take into consideration is that students today are much more responsible than we are given credit for. Ask any parent, they'll tell you how much responsibility we take in our education and other activities, especially kids in the higher level classes. The host of the party is an honors student and a good kid, and many of the kids who attended the party were honors students too. We value our lives and our futures and most of us know how to keep ourselves under control. We are not stupid, irresponsible kids and therefore we shouldn't be treated as if everything we do will end in catastrophe. Prevention can only go so far. If you tried to protect kids from every possible danger, you'd have to keep us in the house all the time. Where does it end?

The bottom line is that high schoolers drinking is not as dangerous as it's perceived to be. We know when someone has had too much. We know to call their parents even if we are risking getting ourselves in trouble. I bet no one would have gotten hurt at that party if the cops had not shown up. But, kids are scared of the cops because all our experience with the Mendham and Chester police has shown us that the cops are not here to help us. They target us when we're driving, even if we're obeying all traffic laws they'll still follow us just waiting for us to slip up so they can pull us over. We feel targeted. That's why so many kids ran. No one wanted to be just another arrest to help a cop meet his monthly quota. A bunch of drunk kids running through the woods in the middle of winter is much more dangerous than a bunch of drunk kids partying in someone's basement. The police handled the situation terribly, and they actually made the situation more dangerous.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that the police most likely knew in advance about this party since I understand it was all over Facebook and being talked about by many, many kids. I suspect that the other police departments, helicopter and K9 units were even put on alert. My question is why would the police not prevent this party from ever happening by simply parking a cruiser outside the residence on the street before the party even started? Isn't prevention the best deterent?

Prevention doesn't pay overtime.

just exactly how do you "know when someone has had too much"? i'm sure the parents of the seven kids who died of alcohol poisoning over the ten years my kids were in college would debate that statement. underage is underage, it's illegal; get caught and suffer the consequences. it doesn't matter whether you think it's right or wrong, it is the current law. and we're not saying you're stupid...inexperienced, yes.

wow, it's nice to see how much the kids respect the law.

how many kids think it is 'cool' they didn't get caught?

i am glad, my daughter is nothing like the kids who are proud of themselves for 'tricking' the cops. Of course the parents are in trouble, not that the kids care.

my point stands, if you think laws are there for you to pick and choose from, then you are on a slippery slope. do you think people in jail think they have the right to do what they do? yup, they do.

if you don't like the law, then work to change it - or understand it.

The last time I was chased by a helicopter at night was during survival and evasion training in the Army. I was 21 (now 52). My first response to the story (like many) was "are you kidding me?" It's clear when viewed from the perspective of appropriately measured response and use of resources this was way out of whack. However, and I think those who fly fixed or rotary aircraft will back me up on this, pilots require minimum amounts of flight time to maintain their qualifications. I'd like to think the pilot of this chopper needed some flight time and rather than just fly around doing nothing, used the opportunity of a "mission" albeit a mismatched one, to practice some skills.

As a parent of four children, including two newly minted teenagers, this over response is troublesome. As a taxpayer, it requires an explanation beyond the "safety of the kids" - hopefully there was further reasoning supporting the decision made to bring in this aircraft.

Ensure the safety? Oh please. We are in such a Police state now - we routinely warn our children that the Police are all too foetn the enemy. How much did that Helicopter cost? Who pays for that? Or worse whoever's idiotic idea was it to call it in the first place should be fired. Where was the SWAT team? The CSI. OMG we have come to this.

Nice job police force! Great use of our taxpayer dollars!! I would be completely embarrassed if I were the police chief and, really, the chief needs to consider stepping down and repay the taxpayers for the expense of this ridiculous event! And you wonder why New Jerseyans hate the police!!!!

Sorry if I missed this as I've only had time to read about 1/2 of the comments... Where the hell were the parents? Please don't tell me the homeowners provided the home and alcohol to 70 - 80 kids...

We can go back and forth forever about excessive searches (the helicopter was absurd, imo) and poor targeted teenagers and so forth... But it comes back to the parents.

I think many of us grew up in an era where parents would let a couple kids come over, hand over their keys and have a few beers. I wouldn't even do that these days given the legal environment, but at least there was a measure of trying to be safe. Under no theory whatsoever is it OK for 70+ high school students to have a house party with alcohol.

My kids are going to hate me because they will never have the opportunity to pull something like this. No.Way.In.Hell.

A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride,
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride.

Though his mind is not for rent,
Don't put him down as arrogant.
His reserve, a quiet defense,
Riding out the day's events.
The river

And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society.
Catch the mist, catch the myth
Catch the mystery, catch the drift.

The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep,
Maybe as his eyes are wide.

Today's Tom Sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the space he invades
He gets by on you.

No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government.
Always hopeful, yet discontent,
He knows changes aren't permanent,
But change is.

And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society.
Catch the witness, catch the wit,
Catch the spirit, catch the spit.

The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep,
Maybe as his skies are wide.

Exit the warrior,
Today's Tom Sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the energy you trade,
He gets right on to the friction of the day.

It's hard to believe that two hours away from the bubble we live in is camden, a place where dangerous drugs (OTHER than marijuana) are sold out in the open and people are shot in broad daylight regularly. Now THAT is a town that needs to be closely supervised by the police, especially since they recently laid off the majority of their officers. I wasn't at this party, and I don't know anyone who was. I just grew up in Chester. It is pathetic how many people from this town can't conceptualize how things they see as COLOSSAL issues (like underage drinking) compare to most other areas of the country. Anyone who has driven 5mph above the speed limit there knows how the Chester/Mendham cop that eventually pulls them over is absolutely salivating at the possibility of making an arrest. I have no problem respecting a police officer that has my best interest in mind, but I would like to feel as though that respect is mutual. I have never received a ticket, but have been pulled over in both towns FIVE TIMES for completely bogus reasons. My mother was once given a sobriety test at two in the afternoon after 'slightly veering the yellow line' Generally, their demeanor is a shameful example of how our community is surveyed. Hopefully this helicopter nonsense brings what everyone has felt for years to the surface. something needs to be done.

To the kids who are posting about how this is no big deal...

I grew up in this area. When I was just about to start high school, there was a HUGE party in Long Valley. The parents were away in FL, and there were something like 100 kids there.

By the time the cops broke it up, the kids had caused $100K in damage to the home. It was so bad, it was covered on A Current Affair (a nightly news program that you're probably way too young to remember).

I don't think the parents/adults on the board are trying to make it a felony for a teen having a few beers. But please understand that when you get that many kids and alcohol together, unexpected and really bad things can happen.

I still maintain that the helicopter and dogs were completely over the top - but the cops were absolutely right to respond to the call and break up the party.

You all want to hear a story about the police over stepping their boundaries listen to this. I woke up in a Soho doorway and a policeman knew my name. He said "You can go sleep at home tonight if you can get up and walk away" I staggered back to the underground and the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin' punches around and preachin' from my chair
Well, who are you? I really wanna know. Tell me, who are you? 'Cause I really wanna know.

Can you believe that?!?!

Another time the police said to me don't stand so, don't stand so, don't stand so close to me! I mean can you believe the nerve, darn police telling me where to stand. It really Stings you know.

Hey guys,

Thanks again for commenting. The story is still developing and we expect to have more details soon. In the interim, we have been hearing passionate arguments and have put up a poll and would love you to participate.

http://patch.com/A-1BMl

Note I was there and I ran

I go to Mendham High School, I wasn't at the party but know some people who were and were badly hurt running through the woods because the police provoked them to do so. Even though I am a kid, I can understand both sides of this situation. First of all, the police raid was executed incredibly poorly. As the chief of police I would be incredibly embarrassed to hear that my police force ran after kids in the woods while yelling profanaties at them and calling the kids degrading names. Had the police simply blocked the exits of the house then perhaps there wouldn't have been as big of a problem. The K-9 unit would not have had to been called, nor the helicopter. Did they not except them to run away? The use of the helicopter was completely absurd and unnecessary, and the K-9 unit did absolutely nothing except scare the already terrified kids even more. The main task of the police should have been to locate whoever was hosting the underage drinking party, rather than going after all of the kids who were there. If they had made that known right as they got there, then the situation would have gone a lot smoother. Also, there is no possible way that the police didn't know about this before it started happening. The fact that 6 forces were simply able to show up is very skeptical. Say the police had parked a cop car in front of or near the house before the party started, then the whole thing could have been prevented.

SERIOUSLY kids.... exercising good judgement should extend to things outside of the underage drinking if you're all so smart. There is no need to run and knowing that there isnt much the cops would do to you! The host is the one in trouble, your parents get called and you go home, but that seems over the top right to make sure that each of you who are at that moment impaired get home safely and to your guardians. Seems reasonable to me! You broke a law! Just because you think it should be changed there are many reasons for it to be in place and unfortunately for you all your not of age to partake in that activity leagally so you do so knowing you could get in trouble thats the consequences you face thats a CHOICE you made!

(cont.) I also understand that underage drinking is illegal, but kids will be kids. They go to parties like this knowing that there is a chance it may get busted. This may sound ridiculous to adults, but you were a kids once, however you didn't have the stricter and more enforced laws that we deal with today. If you did I'm sure something like this would have happened to you. I agree that it was dumb to have that many kids at a party because it was very obvious that something illegal was going on. But the way the police handled the situation is the exact reason why kids of Mendham and Chester are so terrified by their authorities. Kids get pulled over all the time and the cop will harass them and give them a hard time, or they'll make up a ridiculous reason to give them another ticket plus what they pulled them over for. I even know kids who have gotten pulled over and given false reasons as to why their car needs to be searched, just to find nothing. I sometimes wonder if the police here remember that it is ILLEGAL to search someone's car without probable cause, and it is illegal for a cop to simply make one up. The police here find joy out of getting kids in trouble, which sickens me. I wonder, if someone got stabbed in Mendham would 6 police forces and a K-9 unit show up to that scene then as well when there is a murder on the loose? Kids will be kids, but the police have their priorities completely out of whack.

Slobo, I understand your position. I realize this is a very dimensional issue but those are some pretty sweeping generalizations you're making. Not everyone that grew up here had parents with keys to expensive cars and stole pills and it is pretty ignorant to put everyone into a category that only represents a fraction of the teens in our town. 'my opinion matters', The point of my comment was just to explain my confusion as to why the police expect the utmost respect from the citizens of chester but give none of it in return. If bringing out a K9 unit, several police officers, and a HELICOPTER seems necessary to you, I'd say you're the one that needs to wake up. It blows my mind to see so many people up in arms about underage drinking and how teenagers are so 'out of control'. There's a deeper issue here that goes beyond it. I would worry about the fact that kids resort to these things because there's not much else to do for fun... there is a severe cultural absence. in all honesty what do you do on a friday night in chester? go to a restaurant? shop at the gap? (Good luck doing that without the mall cop coming after you).not that it justifies dangerous activities by any means, but it's easy to see how some kids become jaded and prefer going to parties...

I also find it funny that I have better spelling and grammar than half of the adults who are trying to make points on here.

All of these comments must be from the kids from the party.... Or you so called "adults" need a reality check. I'm actually disgusted reading this, the helicopters had thermal imagining to try and save your dumb kids asses from freezing to death, not for giving out fines. The next time one of you gets your house robbed or your car crashed, don't bother calling those "pigs" since they're obviously no good.

Hookerman and Another High School Kid - your points aren't mutually exclusive. The kids were wrong to flee. The cops clearly (I think) mishandled the situation.

Liv, I can't imagine what on earth the cops were thinking in sending out a helicopter in this situation. I'm willing to bet that every single kid had a cell phone, and it's not as though this happened miles from civilization. It's as though they thought the kids were 6 years old or something. Ridiculous. If a kid was stupid enough to wander in the woods, lie down and die of hypothermia b/c he/she was fleeing a party, we might consider chalking that one up to Darwinism and moving on.

@ Another High School Kid. I will not brush you off, so here it goes. The cops don't terrify the kids, I was a kid once and I was fearful of the police because I did not want to get tickets. It was only when I was doing something wrong that I was truly afraid (reread that). The general public naturally has a slight fear of the police, that fear, however, is actually the fear of authority; of getting caught and punished, it's the same fear that made you afraid of the principal, etc... Police create a negative image of themselves when they abuse their power, but I find that most people are grossly incorret when they speak about police powers or the abuse of them or their own personal rights. They come on here, or speak with their friends saying the police can't do this or that, spouting off about the 4th Amendment, when in fact the police very much can. And here is the kicker, it was the officials that we elected that gave and continue to give them these powers, so ultimately we, the voting public, have only ourselves to blame if we are upset about the current laws and how they are being enforced.

You could not have possibly known what the police were going to do then and this is for two reasons. One, the police don't walk in announcing how they are going to resolve a situation like Ye Olde Towne Crier and two, and here is what this debate is really about, apparently a lot of partiers didn't stick around to find out.

Show me what a police state looks like. This is what a police state looks like.

Cont. from above...
Now you and your constituents can't say that you were offended, upset, or anything else concerning the cops using curse words. First off, I have kids, I know they curse, not in ront of me, but I have caught them and their friends, and let me say, this generation, much like my own, is quite adept at cursing. The youth of today are not offended by any curse words, they use them more then anyone, so to state otherwise is merely being done for convenience. Now there may be some out there who believe that the police should not curse at them, however, if you scroll up you will see several post (they have have been taken down by patch editors) that are literally cursing out the police. I saw one that just red, "F the police!" So these same kids, who are so offended by the police swearing at them (supposedly, but I'll take your word(s) for it) have no problem if they and their friends curse and swear, and seem to find it not only acceptable, but hilarious and righteous to do it to adults.

BTW, there is no law that says you can not swear at a cop or give them the middle finger, and there is no law that says they can not swear back.

And I don't really know what to say about your last sentence. While I understand no one wants to get caught, I think you pretty much sum up the problem in that last sentence. "I'd have thought he wanted to arrest me and therefore continue running." You knew you were doing wrong, and so instead of accepting the consequences to the inherent risk that came with the choices you, yourself willingly made, you chose to disobey appointed authority figures and run. All in the hopes that the penalties that society has agreed upon, are just for person violating a certain offense, would not fall on your head. I pretty much think thats the exact problem with this country and why it is going down the tubes.

I'm with Alice. Wondering if Hookerman's friend or family member posted while he fell asleep.... Really strange. Totally uncharacteristic posting, both in viewpoints as well as style/sentence structure/etc.

Alright. The police were necessary yes, but they could have handled the situation in a completely different way to prevent kids from being scared and running, which of course they knew was going to happen, how could they have not? Of course kids are going to run, they've busted smaller house parties before and the kids ran, so duh it's going to happen when they bust a house full of 80 kids! If the situation had been handled differently some kids wouldn't have had to go to the emergency room the next day (yes, that happened) and the helicopter wouldn't have been called. I agree, if they had surrounded the area that would have made things easier. As far as I know from talking to people who were in the woods, the helicopter and K-9 units did absolutely nothing. If any adults think the police did exactly what they should have, you should really rethink that.

Well son of a gun, what do you know. There is a Chester Township Council meeting tomorrow, so let's say all these experts who feel this was terribly mishandled and a waste of money and resources, how about showing up IN PUBLIC and run your mouth like you do here? The Mayor and Council will listen to whatever you want to say. I think I'll wander over to the meeting myself, I enjoy the peaceful chirping of crickets, and that's all there will be to hear,because no one you have the balls to come out and publicly complain. STFU.

Oldtimer, it's true, I am lacking balls (as a female) and I won't be in attendance. But that's because I don't live in Chester, so I really don't have any vested interest in the misguided decisions they make with respect to allocation of police resources. If you guys want to flush thousands of dollars of tax money down the drain every time there's a house party, knock yourselves out.

Hey Jersey,

Thanks for commenting. The current Patch policy is to allow people to post under whatever name they choose as long as it is not vulgar or violates the terms of service. Now, while we might question the wisdom of that as editors there is nothing Jason or I can do to change that at present. But your sentiments are heard.

Thanks Russ. It would seem prudent to only allow users to post under a registered username that's not already in use, especially given the fact that so many people post using their real names. I know that's not up to you, but perhaps the feedback could be sent up the chain to the powers that be.

I'm sorry Russ, but that is a total cop out. This isn't rocket science. It's common sense. Tell the idiot who made the policy to change it.

Hey guys,

Yes Jersey, I agree with you and we do send bring it up when we have a chance and examples like this certainly help illustrate the point. Unfortunately, we don't have control over changing it ourselves. We share your frustration because it can muddy the dialogue.
As for Kevin's suggestion, as I said before we have expressed our concerns and will continue to do so when appropriate. But I also don't make it a habit to name call in my personal life or my professional life. I don't have the authority to make a system wide change like that anyway, even if I did it respectfully. :-)
Thanks for commenting guys. Feedback is appreciated.

The real Hookerman checking in here and while I am not happy about someone else using my name, I understand it as I have been very antagonistic on this website in the past. Anyways, I may change my name to sometihng different now, perhaps TheBrothelKing. I don't know, I am tossing several things around.

O-V-E-R-K-I-L-L Our cops are bored!! Lucky us to live in a place where they feel the need to handle this like a huge event. Run, kids, run :) They will look back on this when they are out of here - living in Hoboken or NYC - and laugh! Just utteryly ridiculous!

Hey guys,

Reminder: Please be civil and stay on topic. Thanks!