Officials describe social media posts that led to Gloucester Township Day’s indefinite postponement

Widely shared social media posts with alarming comments and credible threats of violence, including guns, prompted the postponement of Gloucester Township Day in light of a rowdy disruption at last year’s event that resulted in multiple arrests and injuries, officials said.

“The long-term safety and security of the community must take precedence over short-term enjoyment,” Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said at a Tuesday news conference. “Our focus is on fostering a safe environment for future community events where residents can enjoy these activities without fear.”

Last year, the event descended into mayhem after more than 500 teenagers and young adults converged on the festival, breaking out into fights that resulted in 11 arrests and five injuries, including to three police officers. As a result, organizers at the Gloucester Township Day Scholarship Committee this year attempted to reduce the chance for a similar disruption by planning to limit the festival’s hours, ending it before dark, officials said.

But after the township announced the event’s 2025 date and times — initially June 7 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — in an Instagram post last month, what officials referred to as “alarming comments” cropped up, prompting the indefinite postponement of the festival. The mayor’s office observed an unusual amount of sharing of and commenting on the post, prompting township police to look into the matter.

The post, Mayor David Mayer said, was circulated about 20,000 times online, largely by “what appears to be juveniles expressing their excitement about showing up and, once again, causing disruption and chaos.”

Investigators found that the post had been copied to a private TikTok account, and that the post had a number of concerning comments on it, Harkins said. The comments, he added, gave police reason to believe that “people from across the region were going to come create problems,” and at least one comment referenced guns at the festival.

The township’s Instagram post has since been taken down, but the TikTok account’s post remained up as of Monday, when it had roughly 800 comments, 8,000 shares, 39,000 likes, and 220,000 views — the latter number being about three times the size of Gloucester Township’s population, Harkins said.

As a result of the threats, Harkins said, police recommended that the event be postponed. Some commenters, he added, suggested that police take extreme measures to ensure safety for event attendees, including armored rescue vehicles and riot gear.

“That’s not something that I would sign off on for a community event, and, quite frankly, I think those comments are ridiculous,” Harkins said.

Officials said that the event, which raises money for scholarships for the township’s high school seniors, attracts large crowds each year. As a result, it is inherently vulnerable to violence and other disturbances, and even with heightened security, the risk would still be too great to allow the event to go on, given the recent threats combined with last year’s chaos.

“We are just trying to be prudent,” Harkins said. “We’re not going to put ourselves in that position again.”

Officials expressed regret at the need to indefinitely postpone the festival and have not yet set a new date. Mayer added that the event’s postponement comes amid “a juvenile crisis in this country” that is not unique to Gloucester Township.

Last year, a number of other regional summer events also saw cancellations, postponements, or other alterations due to similar concerns. The June Fete Fair in Montgomery County, for example, was canceled after a 111-year run, as was the Broomall Fire Company Annual Carnival, the Dreamland Amusements Carnival at the Neshaminy Mall, and the Exton Square Mall Carnival, among others.

New Jersey officials, meanwhile, have pursued legislation aimed at enhancing penalties for disorderly conduct, and creating new ones for inciting or participating in public brawls. One bill, introduced by Sen. Paul Moriarty (D., Gloucester) following the chaos at last year’s Gloucester Township Day, is awaiting Gov. Phil Murphy’s signature, officials said.

“This decision is not the reflection of the Gloucester Township community’s spirit,” Harkins said of the decision to postpone this year’s event. “But it’s a necessary step to ensure safety for all involved.”