55 Kids, Teens Charged After Hersheypark Brawl

A spring night at Hersheypark is turning into a long legal chapter for dozens of young visitors. Police in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, say 55 people ages 12 to 19 have been charged in connection with a series of fights that broke out on the park's April 3 opening day. The counts range from disorderly conduct and failure to disperse to simple and aggravated assault, theft, conspiracy, and riot, CBS News reports. In a news release, police said the three oldest of those charged are two 18-year-olds and a 19-year-old.

Officers were called around 7pm after security reported multiple scuffles among groups of teens inside the park. Police say a swift response broke up the brawls, with three initial arrests and several people kicked out. According to court records seen by PennLive, officers said families hid under tables during fighting in the park's food court and the rollercoaster Skyrush had to come to an emergency stop. Police said no injuries to participants or bystanders were reported, and park operations were only briefly affected. Hersheypark has now tightened security, replacing its re-entry hand stamps with a photo-based verification system, CBS reports.