SEVERN MEADOWS, Md. -- The solution to throwing a party without the worry of cleanup? Break in to someone else's house and have it there.
A house for sale and empty for several months, since the owners moved to Washington state, was the scene of a big house party Friday. About 200 teenagers and young adults paid organizers $10 to $20 to drink, smoke marijuana and dance the night away.
"There were at least 30 guys hanging in the driveway," neighbor Celia Rico said. "There were cars parked all around the cul de sac, down the street. There were girls walking up the street. They were also teenagers, and that's what I was concerned about. And we couldn't pull our car in because they were blocking everything."
The organizers had an elaborate cover story, News4's Chris Gordon reported. They put a sold sign over the Champion Realty sign and introduced themselves to neighbors as the new owners, carrying a bottle of wine as a gift.
"According to my wife, she asked a few questions, where were they from," Parris Spivey said. "The guy said he was in the Air Force and his parents were actually the owners but they were sort of getting it ready, if you will. The parents were going to be moving in within the next few days."
Neighbors thought it was a housewarming party, Gordon reported, but it got so loud, police received a noise complaint at about 1:30 a.m. When police arrived, the partygoers scattered -- across lawns, over fences -- a classic high school party bust.
The house was a mess, Gordon reported. Carpets were ruined, smoke detectors were destroyed and the basement door was broken.
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"Surprised to have a party that wild," neighbor Sandy Guzman said. "We have a few neighbors that like to sit out all night, but nothing to that extent."
Anne Arundel County police didn't arrest anyone at the time, Gordon reported. They learned the next day that the party organizers were in the house without permission.
