Crime & Safety

Sparta Allows Trick-or-Treating on Streets With Power, Cops Say

Kids will be able to go door-to-door at homes with lights on until 9 p.m. Monday, police say.

Sparta kids are allowed to trick-or-treat on Monday, after Governor Chris Christie moved Wednesday's celebrations to this week because of Hurricane Sandy's damage, police said.

Hopatcong will not participate in any Halloween celebrations on Monday, after Mayor Sylvia Petillo said Sunday that the road conditions are too dangerous for walking outside.

According to a report released by the Sparta Police Monday, trick-or-treating will only be allowed in neighborhoods with power under the following conditions:

Find out what's happening in Hopatcong-Spartawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Trick or Treating shall only be conducted where there is power within the streets/neighborhoods that you are in.
  • If a home is dark, you should not allow your children to enter onto the property.
  • Trick-or-treating should be conducted during daylight hours.
  • It is strongly recommended that all children be escorted by an adult.
  • Do not cut between yards due to low hanging branches and wires.
  • It is recommended that some type of reflective material is placed on your children's clothing and ensure at least one person in your party has a functioning flashlight.
  • A curfew has been set at 9 p.m. for neighborhoods and streets with power.

Police said there are still many areas within the township that remain unsafe, so if parents allow their children to participate, they should "exercise a common sense approach and be mindful of the hazards that still exist in some areas of our town."

Police added that some residents have suffered significant personal loss and may not have Halloween as a priority, so participants are encouraged to focus on safety and respect to neighbors if they make the decision to go out.

Find out what's happening in Hopatcong-Spartawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This directive that I have imposed is in no way an attempt to diminish or curtail your families from engaging in this traditional holiday that all our children enjoy, but rather to maintain our focus on public safety which all decisions such as these are formulated from," Chief Ernest I. Reigstad said in the release.


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