Lakewood Toy Store Closed Catered Party Halted Amid Coronavirus

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Eight people are facing charges after a toy store was shut down and a children's party was broken up in Lakewood, both of which violated emergency orders from Gov. Phil Murphy during the coronavirus outbreak, the state attorney general's office announced Tuesday.

The violations were among two dozen in the daily report from state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan of violations of Murphy's March 21 stay-at-home order that is part of efforts to slow the spread of the virus.

The two incidents are the latest in a string of issues that have frustrated residents of neighboring towns as social distancing has been stressed for more than a month. There have been more than a dozen incidents that police have had to break up dating back to March 17, the day Murphy's initial order limiting gatherings to 50 people or fewer took effect. He eventually banned gatherings completely.

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On Monday afternoon, Lakewood police were called to Toys4U on Madison Avenue and found about 50 people outside the store with an employee taking orders at the door, the news release said.

The parking lot was completely filled and there were 10 cars in the fire lane in front of the store, and the customers were not maintaining social distancing and were not wearing masks. Additionally, the 10 employees in the store were not social distancing and only three wore masks, the report said.

Yossi Itzkowitz, the owner, and Tzvi Blau, 29, the manager, were charged with violating the emergency orders, the release said. The store was shut down.

That incident followed on Sunday afternoon where police charged seven men and women after they found a large party in the back yard of a home. The party included a bouncy castle for the children, and a long table set up with a tablecloth, plates, utensils, and chairs.

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A chef and two waiters were catering the event, the news release said.

Israel Goldenberg, 23, of Monsey, N.Y., was charged with violating the emergency orders, the release said. Mendel Steiner, 27, Dina Endzweig, 26, Johnathan Schick, 31, Hindy Schick, 32, Ephraim Weiss, 31, and Chaya Weiss, 29, all of Brooklyn, were charged with violating the emergency orders and child neglect.

Lakewood police, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, New Jersey State Police and religious leaders in Lakewood have been trying to get the message across that no gatherings of any kind are permitted, and have been cracking down on violators.

That coordinated response happened after there were five incidents in

On March 17, authorities broke up two weddings in Lakewood that exceeded 50 people each, which was the limit Murphy initially put in place. On March 19, Lakewood police issued summonses to two men, one for a wedding and one for a large gathering, and worked to shut down a yeshiva that remained open in spite of Murphy's orders to close all schools in the state. Read more: Occupied Lakewood Yeshiva, Weddings Amid Coronavirus Spark Anger

A fourth wedding and another gathering were broken up on March 24, after Murphy issued his stay-at-home order, and two more summonses issued. Read more: 2 More Lakewood Gatherings Broken Up Amid Coronavirus Shutdown

And a fifth wedding was disrupted on March 26 when Lakewood police discovered tents in a back yard while responding to a motor vehicle crash. Read more: 5th Lakewood Wedding Halted, Broke Coronavirus Gathering Ban: PD

On March 29, a Lakewood couple was charged with child endangerment after authorities broke up a gathering of 40 to 50 people at their home. New Jersey State Police Cpl. Patrick Callahan on Monday said the event was a bar mitzvah. A prayer lesson at a Madison Avenue building was broken up the following morning, with 35 people dispersed.

An engagement party for a Lakewood couple was broken up on March 31, with 10 people receiving summonses, including the attendees. The couple who hosted the event was charged with six counts each of child endangerment.

And on April 1, 15 people were charged and one man arrested after a crowd of 60 to 70 people showed up for the funeral of a prominent rabbi despite religious leaders and authorities admonishing people to stay away and follow the proceedings on the internet.

While there appear to have been fewer gatherings, the anger remains heated in neighboring towns, where residents have expressed concerns that people attending the gatherings are becoming exposed to the virus and unknowingly spreading it to others.

Lakewood rabbis issued orders that no one was to travel either outside of Lakewood or gather with family members within the township for the Passover observances, because of Murphy's ban on gatherings, according to a letter posted by the Lakewood Scoop.

New York State is under a stay-at-home order as well, but that order hasn't discouraged people from traveling.

There were 1,117 positive cases of the coronavirus in Lakewood as of Tuesday, according to the Ocean County Health Department, accounting for 29 percent of the county's 3,841 cases so far. There have been 149 deaths from the illness in the county, according to state authorities. There has been no geographic breakdown of deaths within the county. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

"Our police officers are working bravely and tirelessly every day to protect us during this health crisis. Regrettably, they are being called upon far too often to deal with people violating the emergency orders," Grewal said. "Staying home and maintaining social distance isn't just the best advice to stay healthy, it's the law. Make no mistake, we will do everything in our power to keep our residents and officers safe, and that means we won't hesitate to file charges against violators."

"Because lives are at stake, enforcement action will be taken without hesitation against those who are blatantly placing the lives of others at risk," Callahan said.

Violations of the emergency orders constitute a disorderly persons offense carrying a potential sentence of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. However, violators can potentially face criminal charges including second, third, and fourth degree indictable offenses.

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This article originally appeared on the Lakewood Patch