– Eggs
– Toilet paper
– Soap
– Shaving cream
This may sound like your list for the grocery store but, at the end of the night on October 30, this may end up on the front of your lawn.
Goosey Night around the world:
The night before Halloween is ordinarily called Mischief Night, Cabbage Night, and/or even Goosey Night. This night is observed basically all across the world, such as, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and many other places. Other than the United States, some of these countries call the night before Halloween, Devil’s Night, Den Night, and/or even Gate Night. But, us New Jerseyans typically call this night Goosey Night!
The different names of this night usually connects to the different origin story behind them. Here are some for example:
Goosey Night originated in Paterson, New Jersey, but doesn’t really have an explanation to its given name.
Cabbage Night originated in Niagara Falls, Ontario, during the 1950s and 1960s where residents would raid their local gardens for leftover/rotten cabbage and hurl them around the neighborhood.
Mischief Night started to appear in U.S newspapers in the 1930s and 1940s. In these newspapers, it encouraged young adults to have a chaotic and fun night full of mischief before a wholesome night full of Trick-Or-Treating.
Different types of pranks that are pulled on Goosey Night:
1. Soaping Windows
This is where different pictures, words, or sayings are drawn with soap on either a house or car window.
2. Forking Lawns
This is where a bunch of plastic forks are bought and stuck on someone’s front lawn.
3. Ding-Dong Ditch
This is when someone rings someone’s doorbell and runs away before the door could be open.
4. Switching Signs
This is where different “For sale,” or “For rent,” signs are moved around onto different houses’ front lawns.
5. Toilet Papering
This is where rolls of toilet paper get unraveled and thrown onto front lawn trees, bushes, plants, etc.
6. Egg throwing
This is where raw eggs are thrown at peoples houses.
Goosey Night charges in New Jersey:
Nowadays, if you get caught on Goosey Night, you are most likely to get caught by the police. Three laws that are targeted towards Goosey Night according to https://www.criminalnjattorney.com/ are…
Criminal Mischief (N.J.S.A. 18A:6-7.1)
(Juveniles can be charged with criminal mischief due to throwing objects at houses or moving vehicles, damaging private property/public utilities, damaging headstones, and other similar disruptive acts.)
Disorderly Conduct (N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2)
(Although disorderly conduct is not usually applied as criminal mischief to juveniles, if law enforcement determines that an individual is disrupting peace or committing violent or dangerous acts that exceed a criminal mischief charge, a case for disorderly conduct can be employed.)
Trespassing (N.J.S.A. 2C:18-3)
(When Juveniles participate in Goosey Night, they are at higher risk for trespassing charges.)
Interview with Hawthorne’s retired cop, now one of HHS’s school security guards, Jimmy!
Clarion: Is Goosey Night popular in Hawthorne?
Jimmy: Yes, but it was definitely more popular years ago. Now that the years have passed, I’ve personally seen a decrease in Goosey Night activities.
Clarion: Are more police sent out on Goosey Night in Hawthorne?
Jimmy: Less police officers are sent out now because the police department has seen a decrease in activity. Years ago, we would have the officers that were working the day shift stay longer past their shifts and even call in the auxiliary police in. Now, since things are different, this no longer happens anymore.
Jimmy then explained that the reason he thinks there is a decrease in this activity is because more kids are participating in sports. This may cause the athletes to be busy and maybe even more disciplined.