25,000 people and just 1 arrest on Franklin Street Halloween this year

Franklin Street drew in crowds of about 25,000 costumed people for Halloween celebrations Monday night, but there was only one arrest made during the event.

The arrest followed a report that the suspect groped someone, according to a press release. Lt. Josh Mecimore, spokesperson for the Chapel Hill Police Department, said more information wasn’t available at the time of the release.

There were also several related break-ins early Tuesday morning in Morrison Residence Hall. The suspect was described as a white male in a cowboy costume, including a black-and-yellow striped shirt tucked into jeans, with a “Wanted” sign hung around his neck and fake wounds to the head.

Randy Young, spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, said the break-ins were likely related to Halloween festivities.

“Obviously, there’s a bit heavier traffic on campus on weekends or when there’s festivities on campus,” he said. “We’re aware of that involvement, and obviously the cowboy-themed costume will relate in all likelihood to Halloween, so that certainly is relevant.”

The number of people who attended Halloween on Franklin Street is down from last year’s peak crowd number of 40,000 people. The largest crowd on Franklin Street was 80,000 attendees in 2007.

This year, the event lasted from 8-10:30 p.m., and the celebration was shifted to East Franklin Street to open the Columbia Street intersection to traffic.

Mecimore said in a press release that the street was cleared of people at 11 p.m. and reopened for traffic at 11:36 p.m.

Orange County Emergency Services treated four people within the closed event. Three of the incidents were related to alcohol, and the fourth was for an unspecified medical issue, the release said.

Almost 200 officers worked the event on Franklin Street and supplemental patrols continued afterward to help with coverage.

“We realize that sometimes people continue to drink after the event, so that leads to EMS calls after the event has ended, so that is something that we will keep our eyes on and see where there is something we can do better or might need to change next year,” Mecimore said.

Kirsten Sharpe, a UNC junior, said she did not notice as many people on Franklin Street as last year.

“I thought there were a lot of people, not as many as last year,” she said. “Franklin Street was overwhelming, interesting and entertaining as usual.”

City Editor Jane Little and Staff Writer Olivia Ross contributed reporting.

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