Sparta Parents Busted For Teen Drinking Party That Sent 1 To Hospital: Cops

SPARTA TWP., N.J. – A husband and wife have been arrested in Sparta Township for allegedly hosting an underage drinking party and then covering it up after police needed to hospitalize an injured teen.

Police were called to the area of Valley View Trail on April 23 after receiving multiple 9-1-1 calls from residents in the area reporting juveniles committing “acts of criminal mischief” to mailboxes and light posts, Lt. John-Paul Beebe said.

One resident found a juvenile who ran into a mailbox post and injured himself while trying to flee the area on Partridge Lane, Beebe said.

While police and an ambulance were en route to the scene, Daniel Gitelman, 50, and his wife, Karen Gitelman, 49, approached the injured juvenile and helped him back to their home, Beebe said.

When officers arrived they spoke with the witness who directed them to the Gitelman’s home on Westgate Drive, Beebe said. When police arrived at the Gitelman’s home, Daniel Gitelman said the injured boy in question had been picked up by his mother and taken home, Beebe said. The officers then instructed the ambulance squad to go to the injured boy’s residence.

A few minutes later, Gitelman came back out of the home and told the officers the injured boy was actually in the house, on the rear screened-in porch, Beebe said. Police found the teen unconscious, face-down on the floor with blood coming from his nostrils and a contusion with scrapes on his forehead, Beebe said.

The victim was described as a 15-year-old Sparta High School sophomore. He was admitted for treatment of alcohol poisoning and released the following Sunday.

While the boy was being taken to the hospital, another neighbor notified police on scene that while they were assisting the injured boy, multiple juveniles fled the residence out the back door, Beebe said.

While searching the area, officers found multiple alcohol containers on neighboring lawns and surrounding streets. Two intoxicated juveniles were taken into protective custody, brought to police headquarters and turned over to their parents.

Police returned to the Gitelman home and requested assistance from the residents to identify all juveniles who fled the area, explaining authorities had the obligation to locate the juveniles who fled to ensure safety, Beebe said.

Gitelman refused to cooperate or assist in any way, Beebe said.

Less than an hour later, the Gitelmans reported to police headquarters with a list of all juveniles, but patrols were already in the process of accounting for their whereabouts and notifying parents.

An investigation began which included interviewing 12 juveniles along with neighbors who suffered property damage.

The Gitelmans were charged with endangering the welfare of a child, obstructing the administration of law, and hosting an underage drinking party.

The couple turned themselves in at Sparta Police Headquarters at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 5, where they were charged, process and released.