Binghamton Halloween Mayhem: Police Agencies Swarm Downtown

About a dozen people were arrested after trouble erupted in downtown Binghamton during raucous Halloween celebrations.

A Chemung County man faces felony charges for allegedly running toward a State Street fight with a loaded handgun.

City police requested assistance from several other law enforcement agencies late Saturday night and early Sunday morning to deal with a series of disturbances.

Ambulances transported several people to local hospitals from various downtown and West Side locations. Many required treatment after consuming too much alcohol and some were injured in disputes.

Binghamton Police Chief John Ryan said there was "some violence" as thousands of people celebrated Halloween at city establishments and house parties. He said things got "out of control" at times.

Ryan said Friday night was busy throughout the city but police required no help from other departments.

But things were more boisterous the following night with supervisors calling for mutual aid from the Broome County Sheriff's Office and Binghamton University police, along with units from Vestal, Johnson City and Endicott.

Police charged 18-year-old Semaj M. Jaber of Elmira with three felony weapon possession counts. An officer spotted Jaber running in the direction of a disturbance while holding a handgun tucked into his waistband.

The man allegedly refused to stop for the officer. Police said after a brief struggle, the officer was able to remove a loaded 9mm gun from Jaber's hand and place him in handcuffs. He was sent to Broome County Jail after his arraignment in city court.

Binghamton fire department ambulances, along with units from Superior, Harpers Ferry and other agencies were used to transport people to various hospitals for treatment.

Ryan said he was not aware of any reports of major property damage over the weekend.

He said many of those in Binghamton for Halloween festivities were college and university students from out of town.

This story was updated with information about the gun-related arrest.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @bobjoseph.bsky.social on Bluesky or @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.