‘Bushmen’ Halloween prank in Rahway — Are they going too far?

Video courtesy of Joe Brown

For more than a week now and just days before Halloween, a controversy has erupted in my old hometown of Rahway. They call themselves the Bushmen. A few teenagers are trying to scare the crap out of strangers walking in Rahway River Park. It involves three guys, two who dress in ghillie suits (that’s like a full military camouflage suit with fake foliage added to it to blend in with a background) and hide by bushes and one who serves as a lookout.

When an unsuspecting person walks by, BAM, they jump out at them. Rahway River Park attracts a lot of people, so there’s always a potential victim. It sits bordering both Rahway and Clark and is under the auspices of the Union County Police. The prank has certainly garnered their attention. They say they’d like to put a stop to it by arresting the teens and charging them with trespassing and harassment. The boys say they’re just trying to have some fun. The county police are worried about the moment someone is so startled they fall and get hurt, or something worse like a heart attack.

I’m kind of split on this. If the teens are aware enough to not do it when very young children are in a group walking by or the very elderly I don’t see it as a terrible crime. And they’ll probably soon tire of it anyway once Halloween passes. On the other hand teens are typically not that aware and if they’re scaring the hell out of little kids or putting 80 year olds at risk then they need to stop.

What do you think about the Bushmen? Take our poll below.

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