Milford Police End Party for 300 at Italian Vets, Attendees Triple the Hall's Capacity

A party thrown by a 19-year-old at the Italian American Veterans post attracted some 300 people, plus another 30 who couldn't get in the door, resulting in a disturbance that required mutual aid for Milford Police to shut down.

Police stopped the party about 10 p.m. Friday, after an officer entered the upper hall and saw about 300 youths inside. This was after he passed a line of juveniles waiting to get inside. The hall capacity, he was told by a club manager, was about 125.

The organizer, Eduardo Alves, 19, is expected to face charges by Milford Police that could include violating the state fire code and disturbing the peace. He hasn't been summonsed yet. That will require a court action. In addition to the disturbance, the party resulted in damages to the club property. A door was broken and several framed pictures on the walls were ripped off and destroyed, according to a police report.

Alves, contacted Tuesday, said he wanted to talk to police before speaking about the party.

When police entered, Alves, 19, and his mother were standing at a table that had been set up at the top of the stairs. Officer Robert Pavia wrote that he saw them charging guests as they entered the party. They had a clicker for counting people, a lock box with cash and wristbands for the patrons.

The mother told police they were charging guests $8 each, said Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin. The party didn't have a band or food. Police did not find alcohol inside. Police seized the cash box, which contained $2,343, as well as the clicker and the wrist bands and other items.

Because the attendance violated the state fire code, police ordered the party stopped. Pavia and his sergeant, Michael Jones, stood by the front door as people exited. After someone in the crowd outside threw a beer bottle at his motorcycle "the demeanor of the crowd changed" and no one was leaving, Pavia wrote.

Police then called for mutual aid from surrounding towns, and all available cruisers in town. It took 45 minutes for responding police to disperse the crowd or get them picked up by parents.

O'Loughlin said Tuesday the party violated the fire code which is put in place to keep people safe. "It's just dangerous," O'Loughlin said. "The place holds 125 people."

The club's management is not responsible for the disturbance that resulted, O'Loughlin said. It had a manager check in periodically on the party, but the organizers who rented the room are responsible for the size of the party, O'Loughlin said.