Lou Gehrig Nabbed with Open Container Ticket in Hoboken, New Jersey

It was just your typical Hoboken St. Patrick's Day celebration. March 7, 2009 (ten days before the real celebration), Lou Gehrig was leaving a friends house on 10^th and Washington with a can of Natural Ice in his hand and a smile on his face. Mr. Gehrig was heading home to his apartment on 11^th and Hudson, a mere two blocks away. As an underwriter for a lucrative insurance company in NYC, Lou had resided in the area for several years without as much as a parking ticket. He is a real serious type of guy.

Once he rounded the bend at Washington Street he was accosted by four uniformed police officers patrolling the area. Poor Lou had no idea that he would be one of 200 drinking-related tickets issued that day alone (less than half the tickets were issued this year over last). The Hoboken police captain Daniel Simone, Jr. had stated that the police department will strictly enforce (zero tolerance) violations of the open alcoholic beverages ordinances as well as DWI statutes. Additionally, Hoboken Public Safety Director Bill Bergin was so disgusted by the actions of the 2009 parade he is now pushing to no longer allow it in Hoboken. According to a statement made to Hoboken Now, "On Washington Street, bottles were thrown onto the people below. A girl and a guy were performing sex in a window when the parade was going by. One person spit in the face of a fireman. There were young, young girls that were blind drunk standing in the middle of the streets, so drunk that they didn't know where they were."

Luckily for him, when Lou appeared for his day in court the issuing police officer failed to show and he was able to avoid the $1,000 fine plus $33 in court fees. For the many others who were not lucky enough to have their real estate attorney friend representing them for free: tough lessons were learned. Police gave out 376 summonses this year: 220 for holding an open alcohol container in public, 52 for public urination (often onto other people), 33 for public consumption of alcohol, 32 for disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace, 26 for overly rowdy house parties, 1 for littering, 12 for other assorted violations, two people were arrested for driving while intoxicated and police issued 46 other motor vehicle violations.