Two dead, dozens arrested at Ozzfest State bans alcohol in the parking lot at PNC Bank Arts Center BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer Following the deaths of two people and the arrest of more than 80 others at last Thursday's Ozzfest concert, the tap was turned off on alcohol consumption in the parking lot of the PNC Bank Arts Center. Starting with Friday night's Velvet Revolver show, alcohol has been banned for tailgaters regardless of age. A crackdown on underage drinking at the Holmdel venue began after a Gwen Stefani concert, which saw dozens of arrests and more than 10 underage people sent to local hospitals because of alcohol-related illnesses. In the two concerts prior to Ozzfest, nearly 150 people were arrested. Joe Orlando, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which owns and controls the arts center, said that the move to ban alcohol was being considered prior to last week. "We've been pondering this move for a while and by now we really have no other alternative but to enact the ban," Orlando said. "I can't really say that the problems at Ozzfest were the only contributing factor, but they did play a part." Raymond Guarino, 26, of Forked River, and Patrick Norris, 24, of Coram, N.Y., passed out in separate incidents, later went into cardiac arrest and died. Both men were said to have drunk alcohol and possibly abused drugs during the day's events, according to state Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (RMonmouth/ Middlesex). Orlando said that as of noon on Friday, electronic signs were on display on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike alerting the public that the ban was in effect. Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso cannot recall a summer that was worse than the current one as far as the number of arrests and the brazen defiance of the law. "We don't need anyone else dying, and it's unfortunate that it comes to this," DiMaso said. "This step has to be taken." Live Nation, a corporate concert promotions company that leases the arts center, issued a statement a day after the deaths, stating that it has a "zero tolerance policy for the kind of behaviors that create an unsafe environment in any of our venues and is committed to doing whatever is necessary to protect each and every one of our patrons." The company said it "will not be satisfied until underage drinking is completely eliminated on the grounds of the PNC Bank Arts Center." Orlando said that it hasn't taken much effort for the 50-60 troopers that normally are on patrol during the shows to make the large number of underage drinking busts that have become customary at the center this summer. "More often than not, kids would just stumble into troopers, and sometimes they are very defiant, leaving the authorities no choice," Orlando said. "Now we're at a point where we have to do this and put this plan into action." Handlin, one of the first elected officials in the area to bring the problems at the arts center to light months ago, spoke about how the issue has grown out of control. "It has now become a deadly environment in the parking lot, based upon what occurred last week," Handlin said. "More people will die if we don't have a zero-tolerance policy. Some kids think it's a rite of passage to break the law and that it's OK to endanger themselves and others with their behavior, and that's all wrong." Orlando said that although young people may meet it with some sort of disdain, the choice to ban alcohol is a must. "This is the responsible decision versus the popular decision. People may not like it, but it has to be done," he said.