Prosecutor: 2 Lakewood men charged after police break up large gathering

Two Lakewood men are facing charges after police were forced to break up a large gathering Monday morning that violated the governor’s executive order designed to limit the spread of coronavirus.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office says that 42-year-old David Gluck and 32-year-old Abraham Haberfeld were charged with maintaining a nuisance after Lakewood police responded to 401 Madison Ave. for reports of a large gathering.
Police say that they found 35 people inside of the building around 8:30 a.m. Monday. The prosecutor says that police had difficulty dispersing the crowd at first, but that eventually all of the people went home.
“We will continue to enforce Executive Order 107. Nothing short of 100% compliance will be tolerated. Stay home and practice social distancing, and please have some consideration for our law enforcement officers,” Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a statement.
This is the second large crowd that Lakewood police were called to disperse within 24 hours. On Sunday, Lakewood police were called to a home on Alamitos Drive for another report of a large crowd. Authorities say that 40-50 people, including children, were out on the front lawn and in the street.
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Authorities say that 37-year-old Eliezer Silber and 34-year-old Miriam Silber were each charged with five counts of child endangerment.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s order bans any gatherings, including weddings, funerals, parties or other celebrations in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said Monday that since the order went into effect, there have been 70 noncompliance issues, resulting in 34 indictable offenses.
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State officials say that to date there are 16,636 cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, along with 198 deaths.