Duxbury police broke up a New Year's Eve party that was attended by at least 17 teenagers who were violating Massachusetts' COVID-19 gathering restrictions.
Police responded to a disturbance on Federal Eagle Road around 10:30 p.m. Thursday where officers found teens from several South Shore communities gathered for a house party.
The party was broken up, and police were able to identify 17 attendees, but it is believed that several others were able to leave the house before being identified by authorities.
Eighteen-year-old Zackary Hamadeh, who is a resident of the home, will be charged with furnishing alcohol to minors in connection with the party, police said.
At least one intoxicated individual was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, according to police.
Further charges relating to violations of COVID-related gathering restrictions are likely, police said.
Per state rules, indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people, while outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people. The gatherings limit applies to private homes, event venues and public spaces.
The Duxbury school and health departments have both been notified about the party. Police also said that steps have been taken to notify the other affected towns, though they did not specify which towns party attendees were from.
The Duxbury Police Department is working closely with other agencies to ensure that all appropriate steps are being taken to minimize the risk to public safety and health as a result of the illegal gathering.
Temporary restrictions went into effect in Massachusetts on Saturday, Dec. 26, with the goal of limiting how much people interacted over the festive period to avoid the kind of spike in cases that the state saw after Thanksgiving, Gov. Charlie Baker said when he announced the new measures.
Baker has urged Massachusetts residents in recent weeks to spend the holidays in a very conservative, cautious and careful way, limiting celebrations to the people they live with.
