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Students clean up after chaos in Keene, NH

KEENE, NH (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Keene State College students took part in a huge clean up effort Sunday after riots Saturday in the Granite State.

A car was flipped, a fire was lit in the middle of the street and hundreds were injured during the weekend long Pumpkin Fest, but on the school's campus. The college was in clean up mode Sunday, trying to get back to normal. Junior Adam Beaton said bottles were smashed everywhere and kids had been lighting things on fire.

Police arrested 42 people on Friday alone, for what the city manager says were largely alcohol violations. More arrests were made Saturday.

Eyad Achraf said he and his friends threw a party that spiraled out of control. They tried to shut it down, but soon riots broke out and police used pepper spray to control the crowd.

"It's all the residue from the pepper spray. See, usually it's a red color, now, a little dusty," he said, referring to his car. "Might need a little car wash."

He went on to say that he didn't think that the officers were too excessive with their tactics to control the situation.

The situation escalated throughout the evening Saturday.

"And then it just kept getting worse. There were cars being flipped over. There was a car on fire. They were shooting rubber bullets," resident Mikaela Wilson said.

Wilson says she was tear-gassed traveling through the crowd.

City officials estimated that about 30 people were treated and released from area hospitals, but none were injured as a result of police actions.

Keene State President Anne Huot told FOX 25 guilty rioters will be held accountable.

"We are reviewing images, videos, media coverage, social media postings, and information we have about off-campus residences. The most serious offenders will face interim suspension, followed by conduct action up to, and including, expulsion," she said.

The Pumpkin Fest itself when off without a hitch. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, about 50,000 people were in downtown Keene Saturday, but city officials say the riots that happened on the Keene State campus may affect the festival's future.