Teen 'Rager' Party Allegedly Caused $45,000 in Damage After Online Alert
April 1, 2010— -- While house parties have always been a part of teenage life, with the introduction of "Facebook" and other social media sites a relatively small party can quickly turn into an out of control affair.
That is what happened to the Abbett family's home in East Bridgewater, Mass., when they took a trip to Paris and left their 18-year old son Alex in charge.
Teenage schoolmates of Alex talked their way into the Abbett house on Feb. 20 and allegedly announced a "rager" on Facebook, according to police. The family claims that up to 100 kids showed up and caused $45,000 worth of damage.
"An absolute disaster. My house had been turned upside down and inside out. The doors had been smashed, my bedroom window had been smashed, the floors were ruined. Just horror," Jill Abbett said.
Furniture was broken, doors were kicked in, holes were punched in their walls and ceilings, carpets were soaked in urine and bloody stains, and items were stolen.
"They urinated in every single drawer in the house. Every single drawer," Abbett said.
The teens not only promoted the party online, the police say they also used Facebook to brag about it afterwards on a fan page called "The Homewrecker Crew."
Teenagers acting out online and turning that into action is growing "exponentially," according to Parry Aftab, an Internet privacy and security lawyer.
"Thieves are always looking for their 15 megabytes of fame. If they can post on Facebook or somewhere else and it will get them more attention and make them look cool, they'll do it. But what they don't realize is they make it a lot easier for cops," Aftab said.
Police have arrested four teenagers in the Abbett case. But for Jill Abbett, she has months of repair work ahead of her. She said some of the damage simply can't be undone.
"They couldn't possibility imagine, unless it was done to their families, what this has been like," Jill Abbett said tearfully.
Police say partygoers at the Abbett house broke the legs off of an antique couch and burned them, smashed other antique furniture, broke staircase spindles, smashed ceiling fans and light fixtures, damaged the hardwood floors, kicked in both bathroom doors, punched holes in the ceilings and walls. Blood was found on the walls, marble countertops were smashed and broken, bedding was destroyed. Family pictures were mutilated, items were stuffed in every toilet in the house, and food was thrown all over the Abbetts' home.
"Several items were also stolen from the house including a laptop, a PS3 game console, jewelry, alcohol, clothing, golf clubs, sporting goods, perfume, medicine, CD's, DVD's, video games," East Bridgewater Detective Michael Jenkins said.
According to Jenkins, Dan Abbett's truck was stolen during the party and damaged.
"It looked like a scene from Animal House, but worse," Jenkins said.
