Over 1,000 cars overwhelm Paramus, NJ at unsanctioned rally

PARAMUS — An unsanctioned car event at a shopping plaza parking lot caused severe congestion on Route 17 this weekend.

More than 1,000 vehicles showed up at the Paramus Towne Square around 10 a.m. Sunday, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said to NorthJersey.com.

Police spent an hour and a half breaking up the rally. Cops from nearby towns and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office also responded to help the overwhelmed Paramus police officers.

While they dealt with the rallygoers, everyday motorists on Route 17 had to deal with significant traffic jams from there being too many cars.

The shopping plaza was closed on Sunday due to Bergen County's blue laws, giving more space to car enthusiasts. Bergen is the last county in the state to observe these laws that prohibit the sale of goods like appliances, clothing, and furniture.

Police issued summonses to some motorists but there were no major incidents, NorthJersey.com reported.

New Jersey 101.5 left a message with Chief Guidetti on Monday.

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Strong blowback on social media

A Reddit thread about the car meetup in Paramus brought out many strong opinions — most of them condemning the attendees as "idiots" and "douches."

"I’m a car enthusiast and street takeovers are automotive cancer. People hate them, with good reason, and they bring a bad name of respectable enthusiasts," said one commenter.

"I think I encountered some of these idiots this morning on GSP, and they went onto 4 and then 17. Mystery solved. I didn't think they got up that early after clubbing last night," another said.

Some commenters came out in support of the rally but were heavily downvoted.

"It’s a hobby of mine and many people, I’m sure if the hobby was model airplanes or cooking food you wouldn’t care, but because it’s cars that makes it an issue," one supporter said.

"Pretty lame of them to break up a Sunday morning car show in an empty lot but I guess traffic can only be caused by cops," said another.