Police Say Lakehurst's Fireworks Display Drew Its Biggest Crowd

Lakehurst officials speculated that the lack of a fireworks display in Manchester brought a larger than normal crowd to the borough's Independence Day celebration at Lake Horicon Park.

"This is without a doubt the largest crowd we've ever seen," said Lakehurst Police Sgt. Ronald Heinzman as he and other officers patrolled the park on July 4. "We usually have three-to-four thousand people. We've doubled, if not tripled that."

Though Manchester did host an Independence Day event at , the township did not have its usual fireworks display. Heinzman said that he believes locals looking for nearby fireworks were drawn to Lakehurst.

Mayor Timothy Borsetti said that he could not even estimate the amount of people packed on the lake's beach and parking lot. He simply said the number was "larger than normal."

Heinzman said that police did not have much problem with crowd control, except for one arrest. Aaron Brown, 27, of Pine Street, was charged with disorderly conduct and released from police custody with a summons, Heinzman said. 

"A lot of families are in the crowd, which we always like," Heinzman said, adding that the borough's fire and first aid departments did "a phenomenal job this year keeping the event safe."

Route 70 eastbound was backed up as attendees exited Lakehurst's side streets and entered the state highway, which is two lanes through the borough, after the display ended around 9:30 p.m. Heinzman said that he anticipated calls for fender benders and fireworks complaints as the night went on.

The mayor said that he was pleased the weather held up throughout the day, allowing what he called a "good turnout" at the  that began in the morning.

"I think we covered all the bases," Borsetti said.