49 arrested in Nantucket on alcohol-related violations in crackdown on rowdy parties

By Adam Sege, Globe Correspondent

Police in Nantucket arrested 49 people in a coordinated effort to curb rowdy Fourth of July partying and underage drinking, Nantucket Police Lieutenant Jerry Adams said.

Authorities have arrested 65 people since Monday on the island off the Massachusetts coast, he said.

Planning for this year’s holiday began shortly after last July 4, when a Nobadeer Beach party drew a reported crowd of 4,000. One partier almost died from excessive drinking; others also were treated for alcohol poisoning, Adams said.

To prevent a repeat, police this year deployed at least 20 more officers than they do on a normal shift, Adams said. That included reinforcements from the State Police and deputies from both the Barnstable and Nantucket sheriff’s departments.

Adams said the island’s plan, which also included a social media campaign urging responsibility, helped reign in this year’s partying.

“I think it went very well,” Adams said. “We managed to keep the situation under control under the circumstances.”

The most common offenses have been open container violations, underage drinking, and disorderly conduct, Adams said.

Police have also cited partiers for possessing fake identification cards, littering, and urinating in public.

Only “a couple’’ of the patients seen by Nantucket Cottage Hospital on July 4 needed treatment for alcohol-related health issues, said hospital spokesman Bill Ferrall. He said the hospital’s emergency room saw 64 patients Wednesday, a slight increase from last year’s July 4 total of 58, Ferrall said. None were life-and-death situations, Ferrall said.

The summertime population on the posh resort island skyrockets to some 55,000. Year-round, about 10,000 people live there, officials said.