Fans trying to get into the sold-out 2015 Hot 97 Summer Jam concert on Sunday were hit with tear gas from the New Jersey state police after the crowd rushed a gate and hurled bottles at authorities.
Carrying shields and batons, state police officers took action when things got unruly outside the stadium that's home to the
New York Giants and Jets, according to the New York Daily News.
People were attempting to "illegally enter" a MetLife stadium gate around 7 p.m., the newspaper noted.
"The gates have been shut and troopers on site have called for assistance from several nearby stations to help maintain order," state police said in a statement, adding that several people were arrested.
WCBS-TV reported that police fired tear gas into a crowd outside the football stadium, sending concert fans running from the area.
"People been standing out here for over 3 1/2 hours just trying to get into a concert that they paid for," one unidentified man told WCBS-TV.
The television station said that several hundred people were left outside the stadium when problems started.
"We arrived here about 4:30-5 o'clock, when we got here they had everybody standing outside in a mob," one of the fans, Aaron Martin, told WCBS-TV. "They wouldn't let us in. When I asked him what was going on they said there was some sort of riot but they wouldn't elaborate."
The Bergen Record reported that the concert, which featured rap and hip-hop acts like Kendrick Lamar and Chris Brown, rolled on as the conflict brewed outside. On Monday, DJs from Hot 97 admonished fans outside the stadium who were trying to enter after the gates had closed.
“You can’t just jump the fence and then get mad and throw bottles,” said Ebro, of the “Ebro in the Morning” show, according to The Record.
"When fans realized tickets were not available at the box office, a small number of people created an unsafe environment, and for the safety of all guests, the New Jersey State Police were on scene to
disperse the crowd," the radio station said in a statement on its website.
"The gates were closed at that time. No further entry was permitted into the event. For ticket holders whose tickets were not scanned, refunds will be offered at the point of purchase," the statement continued.
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