The chaos generated by the throngs of fans who braved the cold to attend a Jersey Shore cast appearance at the 501 Club on Saturday night attracted coverage from The Star Ledger, who picked up our video, as well as from CBS and TMZ. The latter reports that a source inside the club said cast members had to be hidden away in a closet while the overcrowded club was cleared out.
Crowds spilling out of the packed club resulted in police and fire dept. presence on Bloomfield Ave. and a street closure in front of the club that lasted two hours. Fights led to four arrests for disorderly contact and drunk driving. This latest incident at 501 has brought more attention to the new club and its troubled and controversial history.
Dick Grabowsky, who owns both the building that houses the 501 Club and the liquor license in use, distanced himself from Friday’s hullabaloo, saying here that he didn’t have a relationship with 501′s operators. According to Evelyn Ostella, Montclair’s deputy clerk, the liquor license transferred to Dick Grabowsky from the former Rascals, remains in his name with no transfers or changes to the license, or notice to the clerk’s office of any additional shareholders who would be entitled to use the license. This morning, a spokesperson for the ABC would neither confirm nor deny investigations into the 501 Club, despite what appears to be a mention of an investigation here.
Around the time some 2000 or so fans, including many Snook-alikes, crowded Bloomfield Ave. warranting a need for police to manage the overflow from the club that has a capacity for 800, Grabowsky and many town council members were toasting outgoing town manager Joe Hartnett at a $50-a-plate farewell dinner in West Orange. Chief Sabagh was called away from the dinner to deal with the chaos; our calls today for additional information have not yet been returned.
Video above and here: Kristie Cattafi