Six people were injured in a Halloween night shooting on Main Street in Newark, Delaware, leaving a University of Delaware student hospitalized with a collapsed lung and prompting concerns about large crowds gathering in the city’s popular nightlife district.
New surveillance video shows just how crowded Main Street was before the gunfire erupted Saturday night, as well as the chaos that followed.
University of Delaware students who were in the area said the crowds felt different from those on a typical Saturday night.
“I just felt like something could happen if something was to happen it could be bad. I didn’t necessarily think something was but almost certainly could have,” student Zach Wiseman said.
Several of the six shooting victims were younger than college age, something students who witnessed the crowds said did not surprise them.
“It was very packed usually you would see people on Main Street but for this Saturday night you could tell the kids were very young, they walked in groups in packs and it was like are they supposed to be here? Are you in college?” student Ciara Gustin said.
A 16-year-old from Wilmington who was among those struck by gunfire has since been charged with possessing a gun.
The shooting has also raised questions about whether Newark should consider a curfew during major events that draw especially large crowds.
Gianmarco Martuscelli, who owns Rockwell’s on Main steakhouse and the longtime Newark staple Klondike Kate’s across the street, believes a curfew could help manage crowds during busy nights like Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day.
“there’s no real way to police this you can only have so many police right so when you have big days like st paddy’s day or Halloween where you know there’s gonna be way bigger crowds than normal I think a curfew of some sort should go into effect. 8pm you have to be eighteen or older,” Martuscelli said.
His suggestion would require people on Main Street to be at least 18 years old after 8 p.m. during particularly busy events.
The shooting has also affected the University of Delaware community.
Classes were canceled Monday, Nov. 2, and students were already scheduled to be off Tuesday for Election Day.
The university is making counseling services available to students who may need help processing what they saw and heard during the Halloween night shooting.
University of Delaware student Leah Feldman said she supports making those resources available.
“I do think it’s a great idea I personally don’t know of anyone who needs counseling right now but I think it’s a great resource for people who do need it and they should take advantage of it,” Feldman said.
Meanwhile, a University of Delaware student who suffered a collapsed lung in the shooting remains hospitalized.
Part of this story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.
