A crowd estimated to be thousands strong gathered outside the infamous ‘Jersey Shore’ house, following the arrival of YouTube stars the Nelk Boys. Police had to call for reinforcements from nearby towns to control the masses.
Outdoor gatherings in New Jersey cannot exceed 500 people under current coronavirus rules, and social distancing must be practiced. Judging by the hordes of adoring fans who gathered in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on Monday night, Covid-19 was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
So shit is BANANAS in Seaside Heights right now—some loser youtubers r staying in the Jersey Shore House and this is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen down here. Luckily it unluckily I have a front row seat at my B and B #wtfpic.twitter.com/Q0A3ontIrH
Nelk boys are at the jersey shore house it’s been pretty bad since this afternoon pic.twitter.com/MTlAOVhZNi
Videos shared online show the huge crowds, and equally huge police response, amid rumors of a large house party being hosted by the popular YouTube group, known for their pranks and wild antics.
@JohnScarce@NelkFilmz these fucking frat fuckboys Nelk are ruining my town with their stupid bullshit. Like are you fucking kidding me like why seaside pic.twitter.com/jgMtDR2A4O
Borough police were forced to call for backup to help control and eventually disperse the crowds, which Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd estimated to number a “couple [of] thousand.”
There were reports of members of the crowd throwing bottles at police and officers in riot gear confronting some of the rowdier revellers as the night wore on, but there were no reports of arrests.
The Canadian YouTubers, who boast a 5.72 million-subscriber following, were recently sanctioned by the video streaming platform after they were accused of throwing a massive party at Illinois State University in contravention of coronavirus rules there.
YouTube announced that the Nelk Boys channel would be temporarily demonetized for “creating a widespread public health risk.”
“[T]hese creators were encouraging very large groups of people to actively disregard social distancing guidelines from local health authorities that were put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19, creating a widespread public health risk,” a YouTube spokesperson said.
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