Howell Homeowner Charged With NJ Executive Order Violation

Nicole Rosenthal
Updated ·2 min read

HOWELL, NJ – A Howell resident, who authorities say hosted a gathering of 400 on Sunday, has been charged with violating Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order banning large gatherings.

Ronald W. Chatman, 37, was arrested on Sunday evening when he allegedly charged $30 to $40 in entrance fees for a “pop-up” party in the Ramtown neighborhood of Howell.

The resident is scheduled to appear in Howell municipal court on Aug. 26, per the state’s municipal court website.

Officers from Howell responded to the scene at approximately 5 p.m. on Sunday, quickly requesting backup from Wall, Brick, Jackson, Freehold, Monmouth police departments, as well as state police and Monmouth and Ocean County Sheriffs Departments. Howell police mentioned that a majority of attendees were not local to the area.

Read more: Police Break Up Party Of Over 400 In Howell [UPDATED]

During a Monday press conference, Col. Patrick J. Callahan of the New Jersey State Police confirmed that executive order charges against the homeowner have been authorized. Callahan stated that 400 individuals had been counted in attendance, up from 300 previously reported on Sunday night.

Howell was not the only municipality seeing an influx of partygoers last weekend: a Camden County home was host to a gathering of about 250 attendees, with the homeowner also charging admission. The event was reportedly thrown just days after police warned the hosts about the consequences of throwing large gatherings.

Last month saw a slew of New Jersey gatherings amassing hundreds of attendees. At least two were linked to more than 90 positive cases of the virus combined. Read more: COVID Trouble: 3 NJ Gatherings, Dozens Of New Cases

While indoor gatherings were limited to 100 individuals per Gov. Phil Murphy since July, Gov. Phil Murphy recently reduced the maximum indoor gathering limit to 25 individuals earlier this month to slow the spread of the virus.

Thanks for reading! Have a news tip? Email nicole.rosenthal@patch.com. Want to write for Patch? Click here.
Click here to get Patch email notifications, or get breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app, download here. Follow Howell Patch on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on the Howell Patch