EAST RUTHERFORD (WABC) -- New Jersey State Police blocking gates outside of a major hip-hop concert at MetLife Stadium had bottles thrown at them by angry people in the crowd who were trying to get inside - some without tickets - and they later used tear gas to try to disperse them, according to officials.
The chaos erupted at the Hot97 Summer Jam Concert, which was headlined by Kendrick Lamar, Trey Songz, Big Sean and Chris Brown.
The crowds became upset when the gates were closed and blocked off by police in riot gear.
People without tickets jumped the fence and were stopped by security as they approached the doors, prompting the confrontation with state police.
After police used tear gas, people scattered and there were numerous arrests. The number of arrests is still not known.
There were many outbursts of conflict as State Police tried to keep the stadium peaceful and concert goers grew increasingly frustrated and angry, especially those with legitimate tickets.
Eyewitness News spoke with several concertgoers who said they paid a lot of money only to wait outside the gate all night and never be allowed inside to see artists like Chris Brown.
Niemi Hendrix said he spent more than $1,000 to be a part of the concert. He came at 3 p.m. for tailgating which was fine, but when he tried to get inside at 8 PM that's when he was denied.
Hot 97 said on Twitter Sunday night that for those whose Summer Jam tickets were not scanned, refunds will be offered at point of purchase.
One State Police officer suffered minor injuries.
New Jersey State Police released a statement Sunday night saying,
"This evening, security personnel at one of the entrance gates to MetLife Stadium were confronted by crowds attempting to illegally enter the sold out Summer Jam concert by climbing over fences and forcing their way through security personnel. The gates have been shut and troopers on site have called for assistance from several nearby stations to help maintain order.Troopers and stadium security officials are insisting that all people outside of the gates depart the MetLife grounds to avoid congestion when the concert lets out. There is no number of arrests available at this time."
Videos and photos posted by people outside of the stadium on social media showed fights between concertgoers and police in riot gear blocking the entrance.
Images also showed police using large military-style vehicles to try to disperse the crowds.
Janae Griffin, who drove up from Baltimore for the concert but wasn't able to get inside, said the parking lots outside were chaotic.
"People were throwing bottles across the crowd," she said. "We got into a confrontation with a guy who was deliberately trying to vandalize a police car and was just making it worse of a situation than it needed to be."
