Police Investigating Large Gatherings at State College Apartment Complexes During Penn State Football Game

State College police say at least three large-scale gatherings on Saturday at downtown apartment complexes violated the borough’s COVID-19 ordinance and the state secretary of health’s orders.

Now they’re looking to identify people involved and issue citations for the violations.

Around the start of Penn State football’s season opener against Indiana on Saturday afternoon, police were called to and dispersed large gatherings at The Rise, 532 E. College Ave., Penn Tower, 255 E. Beaver Ave., and Here State College, 131 Hiester Street, according to a department release. Photos and videos from each also appeared on social media.

Each of the gatherings had more than 100 people, with little social distancing or mask wearing, police said. The borough’s COVID-19 ordinance restricts, with some exceptions, residential gatherings to 10 people and requires masks to be worn within 6 feet of another person not from the same family or household while in public.

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‘These illegal gatherings put the health, safety and welfare of our community at risk and puts undue strain on the local healthcare system,’ the SCPD statement said.

State College police are now working with Penn State police on a follow-up investigation to identify people involved with the gatherings.

‘Police will use video recordings from these incidents to assist in identifying persons involved with the intent of issuing citations for the violation(s) and for those who are Penn State students, also referring to Penn State’s Office of Student Conduct for university sanctions,’ the statement said.

Citations for violations of the COVID-19 ordinance carry a $300 fine.

State College and Penn State officials also have been in contact with ‘numerous’ apartment complex managers and owners that have agreed to restrict access to common areas, maintain on-site management presence and report ordinance violations to police.

Penn Tower has closed its second-floor deck until further notice following the “irresponsible behavior of several hundred persons,” according to an email sent to residents.

“We have evidence of these people violating PSU and State College Borough rules and policies addressing COVID-19, which includes mask wearing and limited gathering,’ the message said.

Management of The Rise told residents in an email it will meet with State College and Penn State officials to address gatherings “on a larger scale.”

Through last week State College police had issued 76 citations for violations of the borough’s COVID-19 ordinance since its enactment in August

On Oct. 1, Penn State reported that through the first five weeks of the fall semester it had issued 1,277 sanctions against students for violations of COVID-19 restrictions and policies. Most of the sanctions were warnings or probation, but 10 students were suspended and 17 had on-campus housing revoked for the remainder of the academic year.

Since mid-August, 3,646 students and 11 employees at the University Park campus have tested positive for COVID-19. Though new cases on campus and in Centre County have seen a decline since late September, hospitalizations have increased as Mount Nittany has had a record-high 15 COVID inpatients since Friday. 

Prior to the start of the Penn State football season, university administrators spent weeks urging students, community members and visitors to avoid the large gatherings.

‘For the sake of the overall health of our community, I urge our students, employees and all Penn State fans to not congregate this weekend and to continue practicing masking-wearing, social distancing and proper hygiene,’ Barron said in a statement on Friday. ‘This is not the time to let down our guard.”

On Monday, Penn State spokesman Wyatt DuBois said the university was ‘extremely disappointed’ that those exhortations were not heeded.

‘The reckless and irresponsible behavior of individuals who partook, not only endangered their own health and safety, but that of their fellow classmates and the greater community,’ DuBois said.

‘The University is continuing to partner with the State College Borough and hopes to gain a better understanding of the contribution that can be made by the ownership and management of local rental properties, as the community does all it can to achieve the compliance necessary.’

He added that all asymptomatic students who live in buildings where the events occurred, as well as students who participated but do not live in the buildings, are being directed to be tested. Hours for walk-up testing at Pegula Ice Arena are being extended.

‘While many students in those buildings did not attend the gatherings, they may have been exposed to others who did attend, and therefore should be tested,’ a university statement said.

Students experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not go to walk-up testing and should instead seek testing at University Health Services by scheduling an appointment.

“We will be working closely with the borough this weekend and throughout the rest of the football season to stop negligent behavior,’ Barron said in a statement on Monday. ‘I’m proud of the efforts of the majority of our students, and I am determined to hold accountable those who would jeopardize not just their own safety, but the safety of other students and of our broader community.”  

No tailgating is permitted around Beaver Stadium or anywhere on campus this football season.

The university is organizing a socially distanced viewing event for first-year students to watch Saturday’s Penn State-Ohio State game with designated areas for students to gather

Onward State’s Matt DiSanto contributed to this report.