One person was arrested after shooting fireworks at the Glen Ellyn Sunset Pool during a "flash mob" that saw between 200 to 300 teens and young adults storm the property on July 5, unleashing chaos that included drug use, underage drinking and the pool's manager being shoved into the water.
“Officers estimated there were 200-300 people at the property,” the Glen Ellyn Police Department said in a statement Monday. “Some of the attendees were observed entering without paying, smoking cannabis, consuming alcoholic beverages in violation of the park district’s ordinances, and igniting illegal fireworks. Due to the unruly and illegal behavior of several attendees, the park district chose to close the pool early. Officers from several neighboring jurisdictions assisted with the evacuation of the park.”
Police confirmed that one person was charged with illegal use of fireworks.
Screenshot from a video showing Sunset Pool manager Christine Giunta-Mayer being fished out after being pushed into the pool.
| Instagram / duffyclipzz
The incident began shortly before 5 p.m. when police were notified of a large crowd descending on the Sunset Pool at 483 Fairview Avenue.
Video shows groups of people driving up to the pool while hanging out of cars and "twerking."
Witnesses described the mob with coolers, alcohol and music speakers in tow.
"They were drinking and smoking weed and swearing a lot," a Glen Ellyn teen present at the pool at the time told DuPage Policy Journal. "Someone threw a lit cigar into the pool."
Witnesses described reckless behavior and disregard for other pool-goers.
"I saw Miller Lite bottles and girls drinking on-the-rocks cosmos," the teen said. "They were taking people's stuff and moving it from their pool chairs."
The flash mob was originally advertised on Facebook as a “31st Beach” event in Naperville—referencing Chicago’s popular South Side beach scene—but was redirected to Glen Ellyn at the last minute.
Video shows the moment that manager Christine Giunta-Mayer got pushed into the pool.
Giunta-Mayer, who also coaches the Glenbard West boys’ volleyball team, was not injured.
Local leaders, including former state representative Jeanne Ives, have commented on the incident.
“I suspect residents only will be allowed at the pools from now on,” Ives said on Facebook. “Amazing how a group of uncontrollable kids can make things worse for people who play by the rules and are respectful.”
“A horde of disrespectful teens from out-of-town, drawn by TikTok, descended on a public pool in the western suburb of Glen Ellyn,” Breakthrough Ideas writer Laurie Higgins said on Facebook. “They arrived from Chicago twerking as they sat in car windows, bringing alcohol and foul mouths. No respect for other people, decency, or the law. Destroying Chicago isn't sufficient to satisfy their destructive, anarchistic impulses.”
The park district is now requiring all visitors to show physical pool passes.
The Glen Ellyn Park District Board of Commissioners and Giunta-Mayer did not respond to requests for comment.
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