New Jersey governor: YouTube stars should be ‘taken to task’ over house party

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Wednesday condemned the “knucklehead” behavior of the Canadian YouTube stars who hosted a large crowd Monday at the house where “Jersey Shore” was filmed.

Murphy said the so-called Nelk Boys should “be taken to task” over the event in Seaside Heights, according to The Associated Press. The estimated 1,000 attendees were twice the maximum allowed under the Garden State’s coronavirus restrictions

The YouTube troupe rented out the house Monday to promote new merchandise. Murphy said Wednesday that dispersing the crowds required at least seven police departments, and that everyone who was present should seek testing.

Both Murphy and State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli warned that the virus is on the rise among young people in particular. Persichilli noted that since August, the positivity rate for 14- to 18-year-olds has more than doubled, from 3 percent to 7 percent. The spike among 19- to 24-year-olds has increased even more, from 2.7 percent to 7.1 percent.

Kyle Forgeard, a member of the group, said in a video posted to Twitter Tuesday that accounts of the incident had gotten “twisted,” claiming they “didn’t want to get in trouble” and hired security to disperse any crowds. “Word just spreads like absolute wildfire, especially in these small-ass towns… now that we’ve learned, when COVID is going on, everyone’s bored, people are going to f—ing show up,” he said.

“We really learned after this, we have to accept now … maybe we’re famous,” he added.

Addressing the headlines PT1 pic.twitter.com/I0ygpLLf27

— NELK (@NelkFilmz) September 16, 2020